The Girl Who Forgets: Book 1 Of The Forgetmenot Chronicles
by frosty600
Summary: Elissa Brady was a girl who couldn't remember. Woke up each day wondering why and spent it hoping that this time she'd wouldn't. So, when she met the Doctor and then met the Doctor again… the Time Lord couldn't help but wonder why the girl he'd met yesterday couldn't remember him the next. First in the Forgetmenot Chronicles. Doctor/OC.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Doctor Who. Just Elissa my o/c.

**A/N: **So, here's the beginning the new o/c I mentioned in the A/N of 'Chapter 8 of Invitation To Everywhere'. Thanks to those who offered advice and feedback to the idea. It really helped me decide to post it.

Also, thanks to **Maethoriel Artemis** for pre-reading for me.

**CHAPTER 1**

**Elissa**

Elissa closed the door of the microwave and frowned minutely as she read over the handwritten instructions taped to the glass of it again, before she moved her fingers over the panel hitting the ones she needed before hitting the 'start' button getting the machine to whir to life.

She stepped away from the microwave and walked back over to the fridge, pulling it open and peering inside, before pulling out a bottle of orange juice, setting it down on the kitchen bench before she scanned the kitchen cupboards, skimming over the labels before her gaze fell on one labelled 'glassware' which was right next to a cupboard door labelled 'mugs'. She strode over to it and got out a glass, filling it with juice.

Almost emptying the bottle.

She started back over to the fridge, screwing the lid back on, replacing the mostly empty bottle in the fridge door, before closing it again and blinked as her gaze fell on a list labelled 'Things I'm almost out of'.

She grabbed the pen from the magnetic holder above the magnetised notepad and wrote 'orange juice' on the next available space. Blinking at the thing listed above it, 'toothpaste'. Her brow furrowed as she eyed it and bit her lower lip as she wondered if she had replaced that yet… or had she not…? A kernel of frustration rising as she came up with nothing… not a hint of what she'd done the day before. She glanced towards the living room and the open indigo blue journal resting on the coffee table that she'd been reading earlier… the information contained calling to her again… she jumped diverted from the question and her frustration as the microwave came to a stop and 'beeped' as it announced that the food inside was ready.

She grabbed the bowl of porridge out, wincing and readjusting her grip at how hot the ceramic was against her fingers… a warning about that would have been nice…

She paused as her gaze fell to one of the many post-it notes scattered about the flat. 'Bowl will be hot after being in microwave.'

"Helpful," she grumbled with irritation why couldn't she have seen that reminder before she'd gotten the bowl out of the microwave, "Not," though she supposed if she'd been thinking about it, it was common sense… but she'd been distracted… her gaze flicked towards the journal again and she bit her lower lip and settled herself down at the circular dining table, her eyes drifting over the two remaining empty chairs, not sure why she had them, there was only herself in the flat and a small black cat that she'd woken up to on her chest an hour ago now.

Her gaze settled on an indigo blue vase, bunches of small indigo blue flowers inside them, her gaze going to the hopeful message handwritten on a white label stuck to it…

'In hopes of one day being able to remember' a crooked smiley face drawn next to it.

She sighed and started eating her breakfast, eyes darting about the flat that still seemed unfamiliar to her despite trying to find some kind of familiarity in it, taking in the sticky notes of varying colour and age that were liberally scattered about once again, each notating something different. A reminder, some were in different penmanship… three or four she thought so far… but to be fair she'd yet to look at them all… wasn't sure she wanted to… there were just so many! One of them she supposed was her own writing. At least from what she'd seen of it so far had her assuming it was hers, and three that she didn't recognise at all. But… they had to be people that she knew or was supposed to know.

How else would they have been in the flat to leave a post-it note or rather half a dozen or more… most likely more.

She finished her breakfast and dumped the dishes in the sink before she turned and started out of the kitchen and into the corridor, making her way down to the bathroom she'd spied earlier as she'd poked about the flat she apparently called home… looking for familiarity in all the unfamiliar…

She stood in front of the bathroom mirror taking in her appearance, long light brown hair, still in disarray from sleep and hazel eyes peered back at her from a pale face. The same one that had stared back at her from some of the photographs strewn about… depicting her and people she didn't know… not really… though there was the board by the front door. They were all depicted there… a portrait snapshot of them and then a name and who they were to her beside it.

It was nice… and she supposed that they were the ones the other handwriting belonged to about the flat… but still… she wanted… she wished she could actually remember them… know them… instead of waking up… not knowing where she was and why. She shook her head and grabbed for the toothbrush and mostly empty toothpaste bottle and started brushing her teeth, poking about in the cupboards as she did so…

Yeah… she still had to buy more toothpaste it seemed…

A short moment later, her mouth feeling minting fresh and her hair brushed, Elissa sat herself down on the couch and pulled her open journal towards her again. Her gaze going to the note stapled to the top of the fresh page it was on. She peered down at it her eyes scanning over the printed list that she had been using as her guide…

Morning Before Work

Fill Salem's food and water bowl (he's the fluff-ball)

Eat breakfast

Clean teeth & brush hair

Remove dead Forgetmenot flowers from the vase that's on the dining table

Leave home for work at Henrick's 8am (There's a map with directions on your phone)

Look at previous day's journal page if you have time before work

It'll help, trust me.

Elissa.

Elissa. Elissa Brady. She touched the word, tracing her finger over it with a frown, that was her name… it was pretty much the only thing she'd been really certain of when she'd woken up that morning in a strange bed with a strange cat on top of her. She sighed, her gaze going down the list once again. She'd done everything now except for looking at the previous journal page and of course 'go to work'. Her fingers twitched and she glanced hopefully at the time… it was 7:30 now so… she supposed she had time to have a look… her fingers twitched with a mild anxiety and she moved to turn the page only to almost jump out of her skin as a loud ringing noise sounded and she glanced at the phone that was resting on the coffee table were she'd placed it earlier when she'd first come out to the living room.

She reached over and picked it up, staring at the screen that was lit up with 'Rose Calling…' she blinked at the name frowning heavily before she glanced towards her front door where the board was hung up beside it. Her gaze landed on a picture of a young blond, the words, 'Rose Tyler' beside it with the words good friend next to it… although the word 'good' was crossed out and above it in a hand that wasn't her own, possibly it was the blonde's herself which would mean she was one of those leaving post-it notes around the flat, was 'best'.

Elissa blinked again, returning her gaze to the still ringing phone in her hand, biting her lower lip as she slowly moved to press the accept call button and bring it up to her ear, "Hello?"

"Hey!" a bright friendly voice came from the other end and Elissa found herself slowly relaxing just a little, "It's Rose! You're bestest friend in the whole world if you haven't checked the board by the front door yet!"

Elissa blinked again, "I've seen the board," her gaze going to it again, "It's kinda hard to miss."

On the other end of the line Rose nodded, "Yeah, it's supposed to be," she replied, "Have you seen Salem yet?"

Elissa glanced down at the journal, her gaze falling on the printed page stapled to it, "Salem. That's the name of the black fluffy ball of death, right?"

"Oh, what did he do to earn that name? He's a sweetie of a puss," Rose frowned as Elissa mumbled something, "Huh?"

"Woke up and he was on my chest…" Elissa repeated her explanation a bit louder, "Scared me half to death."

"Oh," Rose grimaced a little, she supposed with how her friend woke up every day that would give her a scare, "Yeah, well, he loves ya," Rose replied, "Ultimate lap cat, that one – well when he's not feeling aloof."

"I guess we'll see…" Elissa muttered shooting said fluff-ball a dubious look as it slinked into the room from the corridor.

Rose shook her head, "Have you read yesterday's journal entry yet?"

"Uh…" Elissa frowned and glanced down at the journal again, "No… I was just about to when you called," she flicked the page over and blinked as she took in the writing on the page, dot points some large others smaller.

"Good," Rose nodded as Elissa lifted the stapled printed page from that day out of the way, frowning minutely as she started reading.

"You called yesterday morning," she noted out loud.

"I call every morning," Rose replied.

"Oh…" Elissa muttered in response, there was a moment of silence as Elissa read on, "Oh…" she murmured again, "We went to work together yesterday," she observed, "Is that something we do every day too?"

"No, not every day. Today's my day off. Then tomorrow we work together again and then the next is your day off, Lissa."

Elissa quirked her brows in question, "Lissa?"

"Yep, it's your nickname."

"Oh…" Elissa murmured with another blink, processing, "Ok."

"You right to get to work by yourself," Rose asked in the next instant, "Or did you want me to come walk you to the bus or even ride with you all the way into town…"

"I thought it was your day off?" Elissa frowned.

"It is," Rose rolled her eyes, "But I can still come for the ride if you want."

Elissa was silent a moment and then glanced back down at the journal, flicking it back over to the current day to double check, "I've got a map on my phone apparently," she flipped the page back over to the previous day, "I should be fine."

"I know you do. Mickey and I helped put it on there," Rose replied and Elissa's gaze went to the board again her gaze landing on the picture of a young black man the words 'Mickey Smith' next to it and 'good friend' beside that.

She sighed out a breath, fighting the urge to rub at the bridge of her nose.

"I just worry about ya," Rose finished.

Elissa blinked again at that, "Thanks… but I'll be fine."

"Alright," Rose sighed and then brightened, "Oh and mum says you're to come for dinner tonight."

Elissa whose eyes had gone back to the journal frowned minutely, "It says I came over for dinner last night…"

"You come over for dinner every night, mum and I wouldn't have it otherwise. It's the door five from yours to the left, but don't worry if you don't show up. I'll come get ya."

"That… that almost sounds threatening," Elissa muttered.

"Nah, it's just a promise filled with love and affection," Rose retorted, grinning on the other end of the line tongue poking out from between her teeth, before she sighed, "I should let you go so you can read yesterday's... oh, but don't forget to buy the things off the 'almost gone' list on the fridge if it's not ticked off you need to grab it."

"Yeah, I saw it," Elissa replied.

"Good, I'll see you tonight, Lissa."

"…Guess you will," Elissa replied before lowering the phone from her ear and hanging up, her attention returning to the journal…

***O*O*O***

"How'd she sound today?" Jackie asked from where she was leaning against the kitchen doorframe of the Tyler flat.

"A little distant," Rose murmured dropping her phone down on the table.

"Ah," Jackie sighed and shifted away from the doorframe stepping towards her daughter, "You know better than to read too much into that.

"I know," Rose nodded, before accepting the mug of tea her mum was holding out to her and took a sip, her still brow minutely furrowed and her gaze troubled. It always hurt a little when Elissa was having a distant day… all she could hope was that she'd warm up a little by tonight when seeing them in person… if not well… tomorrow was a new day.

***O*O*O***

An alarm blared from her phone and Elissa almost jumped out of her skin, looking up from the journal she'd been perusing and snatched it up jabbing her fingers at the buttons in an almost panicked fashion, before finally silencing it. She glanced at the time and blinked. It was 8am already… she hadn't realised so much time had passed, but she had gone further back… curiosity about her life driving her to read over what else she had done…

To her dismay it was all routine… no real variation… just work… lists… more lists, endless lists, post-it notes, dinner at the Tyler flat. Hanging out with Rose and Mickey…

She shut the journal, and tucked it under her arm, and with her phone still in hand she scrambled to the door, yanking it open and ducking out it, only to poke her head back in a second later having caught sight of something out of the corner of her eye.

She eyed a fabric shoulder bag, a post-it note above it reading 'Take out with you' she sighed, "Better grab that then," she muttered and nabbed the bag throwing it over her shoulder as her phone 'dinged' and she blinked down at it with a frown. She was trying to get out the door and get to work… not that she knew where that was… she'd yet to really look at the map… she'd been focused on other things all morning.

Crap... were her mornings always like this?

She entered into the text she received from Rose and then blew out a soft relieved breath and smiled slightly as she read, 'Forgot to mention. No need to rush for the bus, you got plenty of time to get there by leaving at 8 xx' her heart-warming towards the blond she could only recall seeing in pictures scattered about her flat.

'Thanks. I was…' Elissa frowned and deleted the half-typed text, not wanting to worry Rose more than she had confessed to being earlier, 'Ok,' she started again, 'Thanks,' she hesitated a moment, before adding 'xx' and hitting the send button. She slung her bag over her shoulder, locked the door and turned away, before pausing briefly stuffing her journal into the bag. Her fingers moving over the keys of the phone bringing up the 'map'. Studying it intently a moment before she nodded to herself, "Alright, seems easy enough," she muttered and started away towards where the map was telling her was stairs down to the lower levels and to the gate that would lead out to the street and eventually to the bus stop, she needed.

***O*O*O***

Elissa stepped off the bus that had come to a stop outside a department store in Central London, her eyes immediately going to the banner that was hung across the main entrance 'Henrick's Sale Sale Henrick's'.

She eyed the sign for a moment then the building it was hanging from… still nothing familiar… nothing had felt familiar yet this morning, no matter how hard she tried to find some hint of the feeling, despite the fact her journal said that she spent a fair amount of time inside that building, working. She sighed and started across the road. She stepped inside her eyes darting about… still nothing… nothing at all.

She sighed again.

"Elissa," a male voice called drawing her hazel gaze to a sandy blond mid forty's man with brown eyes, "Come on," he beckoned her over, "I'll show you what you're doing this morning. I'm one of the managers here, Brent."

Elissa nodded and followed him, silently wondering just how often the man had had to introduce himself to her before… and just how long had she been working here for anyway? …she supposed as they walked past racks of female clothing that it didn't really matter. But still, she found herself a little curious and frustrated that she didn't already know.

Shouldn't she know? And why didn't she? Out of all the information her indigo journal gave her it didn't have any answers as to why she'd woken up without any memory of her life.

***O*O*O***

Elissa shifted back over to the shelf she was restocking, a pile of neatly folded clothes in her arms. She set them down in the last remaining space on the shelf and let out a quiet sigh… mind numbingly bored. Was it always this boring?

"Hey Elissa," Brent called and she turned her head to look at him, "It's time for your lunch break, be back in an hour."

"Ok, sure," Elissa replied with a nod… she felt like she'd been saying that to Brent a lot since she'd started work.

"Come find me when you get back and I'll show you what you're doing this afternoon. I'll be on this floor."

"Alright," Elissa nodded again and turned heading towards where she'd been shown to leave her fabric shoulder bag during her shift.

***O*O*O***

Elissa wandered a busy London street as she ate the salad sandwich she'd bought from a little café. Her eyes darting over the shops. She came to a stop outside a florist, she peered in through the window, her gaze landing on the same indigo flowers that were in her vase at the flat… Forgetmenot's her journal said they were… she smiled slightly… it was a flower that aptly described her she supposed… she didn't want to forget herself… didn't want to wake up again like she had earlier that day…

That fearful moment of not knowing where she was or why she was there… she swallowed and set her jaw as she decided that she'd buy one on the way back to the flat tonight, replace the dead flower that she'd had to bin that morning… who knew maybe one day, it'd pay off and she'd remember something… anything of herself and her life when she woke…

Well, it couldn't hurt at any rate.

Movement caught her attention and she glanced away from the Forgetmenots to see the florist, the woman inside gave her a friendly smile and a wave. Elissa returned both gestures before moving on. Her brow furrowing slightly a little disconcerted by the feeling that the woman inside was obviously another person who knew her at least on sight if not personally when she didn't recognise the woman at all…

She sighed and tugged gently at her lower lip as she wandered back down the street, binning the rubbish from her sandwich as she passed by a bin. She checked the time on her phone and grimaced… it was time to get back to the shop.

Did the lunch hour always go that quick?

***O*O*O***

"This is a customer announcement," a voice came over the tannoy making Elissa pause in the middle of the mind-numbing task of tidying up the racks again for the last hour or so of her shift, "The store will be closing in five minutes. Thank you."

The customers slowly started shuffling towards the cash registers and the exit and a little later Elissa was gratefully slinging her shoulder bag over her shoulder as she made to follow the other employees out of the shop.

"Elissa," and the brunette paused at the sound of Brent's voice calling her once again and turned to look at him, "Before you leave. Could you drop this off with Wilson. He's the Chief Electrician," he elaborated at her confused expression as he held out a small clear plastic bag with money inside it to her.

"What is it?" Elissa asked glancing from the bag to him.

"The lottery money. I'd do it myself but I'm running late to meet the ex-wife. She gets grumpy if I'm not on time to pick up my kid."

"Ok…" Elissa murmured taking the bag from Brent who was shifting a little impatiently, clearly wanting to be off and collecting his kid, "And where do I find this Wilson?"

"Take that lift," Brent gestured towards the doors of the closed lift, "Down to the basement. When you come out of the lift go straight down the corridor, you can't miss his office, it's the blue door with a danger of electric shock sign on it," he told her before he turned and swiftly strode away for the doors that her co-worker's where walking out of.

She turned for the lift he'd indicated and pressed the call button with a sigh, spinning the bag filled with money back and forth between her fingers. The doors of the lift opened with a cheery 'ding' and she stepped inside, glancing about the interior briefly before sweeping her gaze over a panel of buttons by the door. She jabbed the one labelled 'B' and the lift doors slid closed with another cheery 'ding' and started to descend.

It came to a stop and the doors slid open once again and Elissa stepped out, frowning a little as she took in the dimly lit corridor, "Creepy…" she muttered, before shaking her head and continuing on quickly down the corridor. Just wanting to get the money delivered to Wilson and leave… head back to the flat… no to Rose's and dinner… she caught sight of the door she needed, exactly as Brent had described along with 'Office of H P Wilson'… making it indeed very hard to miss. She knocked on the door and then frowned as nothing but silence came from the other side of the door in response. She knocked again, "Uh, Wilson…?" she called, "Uh, I just need to give you the lottery money," she paused and heard yet more silence, "Not there I guess…" she muttered and pulled gently at her lower lip as she glanced about the dimly lit corridor again, "…what now…?" she sighed and glanced down at the bag she was still holding, Brent hadn't said what to do if Wilson wasn't in his office.

A sound echoed up from further down the corridor and she frowned turning to look… "Wilson? Are you down there?" she called, starting down it with somewhat cautious steps, "Uh, dunno if you know me…" she continued as she moved past a rack of clothes, "But it's Elissa…" she came up to a closed door, "Wilson?" she called again hopefully and slowly pressed the door open, squinting into the darkness for a moment before she shook her head and went to turn away, if someone was in there they'd have the light on right…? She started to pull the door shut again only for a noise coming from inside the room to draw her attention, making her pause and turn back to it, pressing the door open again. Squinting to see in the dark, "Hello?" she stepped in cautiously, "Wilson…" she groped at the wall, fingers searching, "Did the lights stop working in here or something…" she trailed as her hand hit on a switch and the storeroom flooded with light, "Guess not…" she muttered dubiously as she looked about the room, the dressed dummies tucked away in it along with stacks of boxes filled to the brim with stock not on the sales floor.

She stepped away from the door, "Hello... Wilson?" she sighed as she glanced about the room that seemed devoid of all life aside from herself, "Anyone…?" she tried again still moving further into the storeroom. Something had been making noise in here. Behind her the door she'd come through suddenly slammed shut, making her jump and turn with wide eyes. She started back over to it and tried the handles only for them to remain firmly shut… locked, "Um…" she swallowed, "What now…" she turned back around, "Another door… please…" she moved back into the room, trying the door to the side she'd passed earlier, only to find it to be locked too. She continued on, her heart picking up a bit of speed, worried that she was trapped inside the storeroom, only for her gaze to fall on another door in the direction she was headed.

She breathed a sigh of relief only for it to still mid breath as another sound came from behind her, making her pause and turn, her eyes widening at the sight of a male dummy as it stepped out of the alcove it had been tucked into, "You're moving…" she gasped with shock as it advanced towards her rather menacingly, "Um, I'm-I'm pretty sure you're not supposed to be moving…" she trailed as she backed away, "Um, if you could stop moving now that'd be great…" she trailed again as a second started moving, advancing towards her behind the first, "Um, really… I uh," she swallowed anxiously as a third came to life before her eyes, "I think I much prefer you guys as inanimate objects… uh, no offence…" she let out a startled yelp as she tripped over a box. She scrambled back up to her feet, readjusting the strap of her dark blue fabric shoulder bag and continued backing up down the storage area, her eyes locked on the dummies advancing on her… all of them in the room with her alive and moving now… steadily shuffling across the space towards her. Her back hit against the wall and she pressed herself against it, hazel gaze locked on the advancing dummies, watching as the first dummy to move raised its arm in preparation to strike, she closed her eyes, screwing them shut, bracing herself, sure it was about to hit her… instead in the next instant a warm hand grasped one of her own in a firm reassuring grip.

Her eyes snapped open with surprise and she glanced to the side to see a man, taller than her, with large ears, a buzz cut, a prominent nose and blue eyes, "Run," the man urged, before he took off pulling her into motion as the dummy's hand cut through the air, just missing her and instead slamming heavily into the wall where her head had been.

The two of them burst through a set of blue doors. Elissa's hand still firmly clasped in the man's as they ran along another dimly lit corridor. The dummies in hot pursuit of them. He led her into a lift and released her hand as he swiftly turned and hit a button whilst Elissa tried to catch her breath as she leaned against the back of the lift. Her wide eyes locked on the male dummy that had moved to strike her closed in on the lift as the doors started to slide closed. Only for the dummy to stick its arm between them in a bid to halt their escape. Without skipping a beat, the man that was wearing a black leather jacket, leapt forward and grabbed the arm that was preventing the doors from clicking shut and tugged, yanking at it until it came free allowing the lift doors to click closed on the dummies that were clamouring to get at them with a 'ding'.

Elissa glanced at him, her eyes still a little wide with lingering fear, "Was his arm supposed to come off like that?"

"Yep!" the man shot her a grin and tossed the arm to her, "Plastic," he stated as she caught it between her hands with a slight fumble.

"It was moving…" Elissa muttered.

The man eyed her with a little concern, "Yep."

"It was gonna kill me…" Elissa continued with a frown.

"Ah, yes…" the man's grin fell a bit as he continued to eye her, his concern growing slightly as he eyed her expression, "But it didn't."

"No," Elissa agreed and took in a slightly shaky breath and then smiled, "Thanks for that, by the way."

The man nodded and grinned at her again, "Your welcome."

"So, what are they… the moving plastic… or is moving plastic normal and only just turned murderous…" Elissa trailed with a little frown as she pondered over that rather worrisome possibility.

The man eyed her bemused at her pondering, "Why'd you think moving plastic, murderous or otherwise is normal?"

"I dunno…" Elissa muttered trailing a little awkwardly… how was she supposed to know what was normal or not, her journal only said so much and she'd only had a chance to really skim over the dot points of the past several pages worth.

"Well, you said it!" the man rebutted.

"I know that," Elissa muttered and tugged gently at her lower lip, before she released her lip and brought her hand down to her shoulder bag feeling the shape of her journal beneath the fabric of the bag.

"Doesn't make much sense," the man observed lightly.

"No, I suppose not," Elissa murmured, "I was just thinking aloud…" she glanced at him again, "Thoughts don't have to make sense, do they?"

"No," the man grinned at her, amusement in his blue eyes, "They don't."

"Good," Elissa murmured and then blinked as she recalled the whole reason she'd been down in the basement in the first place, "I don't suppose you've seen Wilson about have you?"

The man blinked at the change in topic, his brows quirking at her quizzically, "Whose Wilson?"

"Chief Electrician, apparently," Elissa replied.

The man blinked at that, before turning towards the lift doors as the lift came to a stop, "Wilson's dead."

"Oh…" Elissa breathed as the doors dinged open, her brow furrowing, "He is?"

"Yes," the man replied as he stepped out.

Elissa swallowed as she followed him out, saddened and horrified… she couldn't even remember if she'd ever met the man… but, "That's awful."

"Hold on," he turned to her, placing his hands on her slender shoulders and shifting her back and out of the way, "Mind your eyes," he warned before he turned again flashed a strange slender device at the lift control panel, the device whirred briefly and the control panel sparked in response as it's insides got fried.

Elissa blinked at the fried panel and then turned to swiftly follow the man down the corridor, jogging a couple of steps to catch up to him, "So, who are you, then?" she questioned and got silence, "And what about the moving plastic downstairs? Who are they? And, if it's not normal for plastic to move how are they doing it? Um…"

The man glanced at her as she trailed, his blue meeting her hazel for a moment, taking in the curiosity there, "They're made of plastic. Living creatures. They're being controlled by a relay device in the roof. Which would be a great big problem if I didn't have this," he showed her an electronic device. Elissa eyed it a moment before glancing up at his face again as he tucked it away again and continued on down the corridor, her lips parting to form another question, "So!" he spoke before she could, opening a fire escape door he'd been leading her towards, "I'm going to go up there and blow them up, and I might well die in the process."

Elissa's eyes widened with concern and alarm, "You're gonna what?! But isn't blowing things up dangerous…? It sounds dangerous!"

"Oh, don't worry about me," the man cut in and smiled at her again, "No, you go home, go on! Go and have your lovely beans on toast," he urged as he ushered her through the door, "Don't tell anyone about this," he warned as she turned to look at him through still wide hazel eyes, her mouth slightly agape, "Because if you do, you'll get them killed," he said in all seriousness before he shut the door on her.

Elissa stared at the closed door perplexedly, her lower lip caught between her teeth. She slowly started to turn only to pause and turn back fully as the door opened again and the man popped back into view as he leaned out of the doorway.

"I'm the Doctor, by the way," he introduced himself with a grin, "What's your name?"

"Elissa," the brunette replied.

"Nice to meet you, Elissa," the Doctor grinned at her again, "Run for your life!" he told her before shutting the door again.

And Elissa ran through the alley the Doctor had ushered her into and out onto the sidewalk, running down it, eyeing the dummy's in the shop windows dubiously as she dashed past them, glancing back over her shoulder in time to see an explosion blow up the top floor of the shop, her eyes widened at the sight, flames erupting from the windows… her steps faltering slightly as she ran past an alley, that had a blue police box parked in it. She came to a stop a moment later, glancing about the night and the mostly unfamiliar streets… streets that she'd only seen go past in the bus window as she rode into work…

Which way was home…?

She sighed and got her phone out of her bag, biting her lower lip as she brought up the map she'd used to get to work via the bus. She sighed tugging at her lower lip as she continued on down the street as she pondered if she should try and use the map or maybe call Rose… the blond did say they were best friends…

***O*O*O***

"The whole of Central London has been closed off as police investigate the fire," A news reporter for News 24 reported as Elissa sat beside Rose on a settee in the Tyler flat, "Early reports indicate…"

Rose shook her head, "I can't believe that the shop went up," she glanced at Elissa, eyeing her with concern, "You sure you're alright. You're very quiet."

"Y-Yeah," Elissa nodded, "Just um…" she swallowed, returning her gaze to the news as Jackie walked back in from the kitchen, "Just shocked, I guess."

"You are very pale love," Jackie commented, "A bit like the pages of an old bible," she observed and held out the steaming mug in her hand towards her, "Here this should help put some colour back in your cheeks."

Elissa accepted it with a blink, glancing at Rose as Jackie turned in response to the sound of the house phone ringing and made her way back towards the kitchen where she'd left it, "Do I really look like the pages of an old bible?"

Rose shook her head, "Nah…" she assured, "Just a bit paler than normal," the front door of the flat banged open and the two on the settee turned to look as a young black man hurried in, "Mickey hey!" the blond grinned, "Elissa, this is Mickey, he's on your…"

"Board," Elissa finished for the blond the tea mug clutched between her hands as she eyed the young man that appeared relieved at the sight of them.

"I've been phoning your mobiles!" Mickey exclaimed.

"You did…?" Elissa blinked and glanced towards where she'd set down her shoulder bag by the settee, "Didn't hear it…" she trailed as Mickey stepped over to them and the two shifted on the settee making room for him.

"You could've been dead," Mickey exclaimed with concern as he eyed Elissa, "I can't believe your shop went up!"

"It is hard to believe," Rose nodded, "But Lissa's alright."

"I'm fine," Elissa agreed, "Just pale apparently," she took a sip of the hot tea she'd been given.

"Mum's been mother henning," Rose elaborated, "So, don't make a fuss," she urged gently her gaze going to the distracted Elissa again as she took another sip of tea.

"Well, what happened?" Mickey asked as he glanced from Rose to Elissa and back again with curious eyes.

"Dunno," Elissa muttered with a frown, slumping back against her seat a little more, the Doctor's warning still fresh in her mind.

"What was it though?" Mickey pressed curiously, "What caused it?"

Elissa blinked and focused her gaze on him again, "How should I know?"

"Right…" Mickey muttered a bit sheepishly.

"Besides, I was outside already," Elissa muttered, her gaze going to Jackie as she strode back into the room, a phone in hand.

"Debbie is on the other end," Jackie stated as she held the phone out towards Elissa who blinked up at her, "She knows a man from the Mirror," Jackie elaborated in response, "Five hundred quid for an interview!"

"Um…" Elissa trailed a bit uncertainly.

Rose sighed at her mother and snatched the phone from her hand, and hung it up with a jab whilst shooting her mum a look, "Leave her alone," she huffed as she set the phone down.

"I'm just trying to be helpful," Jackie retorted a tad defensively, returning her daughters look, "You've got to find some way of making money now that your jobs are kaput and I'm not bailing you out…" she trailed, distracted as the phone rang again and she snatched it up and swiftly brought it up to her ear as she started from the living room again, "Bev! No, Rose is fine it was her day off today, Elissa though. Poor thing… white as a sheet she is. I've told her to sue for compensation, she was within seconds of death…"

"What're you drinking?" Mickey asked drawing Elissa's and Rose's attention back to him as he checked the contents of their mugs, "Tea? Nah, nah," he shook his head, "That's no good, that's no good. You're in shock," he insisted, "You need something stronger."

Elissa blinked, "Something stronger?"

"He means alcohol," Rose elaborated and then eyed her boyfriend, "Probably beer."

"Um…" Elissa blinked not entirely sure what to make of that, "Do I even like beer?"

"You prefer something a bit more fruity," Rose replied.

"Oh," Elissa murmured and then sighed, that kernel of frustration stirring again at not having been able to know that herself, "Pass then."

"I'd get you something fruity!" Mickey insisted, the two eyed him, "Oh, now come on, you two deserve a proper drink. We're going down to the pub. My treat," he eyed the two hopefully, "How about it?"

Rose smiled a little knowingly, "Is there a match on?"

"I'm just thinking about our friend, babe!" Mickey denied.

"There's a match on, ain't there?" Rose pressed whilst Elissa glanced from one to the other, before her gaze drifted to her bag and the journal poking out from inside it… before her gaze turned to the time. The desire to write down the events that had transpired that day growing before they were lost to her stirring.

"Well, that's not the point…" Mickey trailed and gave the two sheepish looks as he conceded, "We could catch the last five minutes."

"Go on then," Rose urged with a smile, "Elissa looks tired anyway and I'm really not in the mood tonight."

Elissa nodded, "Yeah, I should be getting back to the flat…" she stood, "And I'll get rid of that…" she gestured to the plastic arm resting on one of the chairs. She'd accidentally brought with her… she'd barely been aware she'd been holding it still until Rose had asked about it.

"Oh, Mickey can do that on his way. He's headed out to the pub anyway," Rose stated, "Save you from heading back down and then up again."

"Yeah," Mickey glanced at the arm a bit quizzically, before he turned back to Rose and pointed at his lips and Rose grinned as she pulled him into a kiss, before playfully shoving him away again as Elissa stood and set her mug down on the coffee table. Whilst Rose playful lifted her leg, tripping Mickey as he moved towards the couch with the plastic arm.

"Bye Mrs Tyler!" Elissa called.

"It's Jackie, Lissa love!" came the response.

Elissa turned to Rose and Mickey, "Bye."

"Talk to you tomorrow Lissa," Rose smiled as Mickey picked up the plastic arm and straightened up and turned back to Rose.

"Buh-bye," he waved it at her.

"Bye!" Rose called and rolled her eyes in both exasperation and amusement as Mickey pretended to strangle himself with the plastic hand, an exaggerated expression on his face. He sniggered and turned to follow Elissa out of the flat.

"Bye, Lis!" Mickey called to her, waving the arm at her too.

"Bye, Mickey," Elissa replied and watched for a moment as he turned and started away for the stairs, before she turned and started towards the flat, she'd woken up in earlier that morning.

***O*O*O***

A while later, her 'after work' list completed for the most part, Elissa sat at her dining table, pen scratching over the paper of the journal, her hair still lightly damp from a shower. She created a new dot point and resumed scribbling, pen moving fast over the paper… unsure of how much time she had left before her memories fled.

When she was finally done, jotting down the last thing she felt worth noting down about her day. She closed the journal and stood, wandering back over to the living area and set it down on the coffee table exactly where she'd found it that morning. The label 'READ ME' staring up at her and she sighed out a low breath as she sat herself down on the couch and then blinked as the black feline called Salem leapt up into her lap and swiftly made himself comfortable there, "Hello puss…" she murmured, eyeing the black fuzz-ball that had scared her so that morning deciding a little musingly that perhaps he wasn't so bad as she idly stroked his soft fur and the animal started a contented purring. She relaxed into the couch, fingers still moving through the cat's fur, her thoughts drifting back to the Doctor once more… her brow furrowing with concern as she wondered if he'd managed to survive the explosion he'd set off...

***O*O*O***

'You're safe'

'You're home'

Those were the first things she'd seen this morning when she'd woken up in an unfamiliar room, those two sentences written on a post-it note stuck close to her alarm… the first of many post-it notes she'd come across since waking up to the blare of the alarm.

She'd gotten dressed in the clothes another post-it note said she'd left out for herself, hanging on the doorknob outside her wardrobe. The third thing she'd noticed was the pictures hanging in the corridor outside the bedroom… depicting people she didn't recognise, one of them she'd recognised as herself after looking in the mirror in the bathroom…

She expelled a breath, her gaze going to the blue flowers in the vase atop the small dining table… flowers she'd found out where Forgetmenots thanks to the journal on the coffee table… but nothing she'd seen or read so far told her 'why'. The journal told her a little about what she'd done yesterday and the day before that and the day before that… but that was it…

She turned to the microwave as it bleeped to let her know her breakfast was ready, pausing briefly as her gaze caught on another post-it note in the kitchen. 'Bowl will be hot after being in microwave.' With that in mind she grabbed the bowl out carefully and made her way over to her dining table… a sliver of juice in a glass already waiting for her… she'd forgotten to buy some yesterday it seemed…

She grimaced a little at the thought of what she'd read about yesterday… a lot of it seemed far-fetched… unbelievable and she couldn't help but wonder if the 'her' of yesterday had decided to try and play a trick on the 'her' of today… or maybe trying to make out like her life was more interesting than it was… every other entry in her journal was cut and dry really… predictable… average, boring… and yet when she'd briefly flicked on the telly… it had confirmed that there had indeed been an explosion at the building called Henrick's… but living plastic creatures…

Though why she'd mess with the system meant to help her get a gist of what was going on… she couldn't say…

She sighed and then blinked as she felt something rub up against her leg and looked down, "And what did you want Mr Salem?" she questioned, "I gave you your food…" she trailed as the cat continued to rub against her leg, "Enjoying that are you?"

Salem purred and Elissa smiled, despite the fluff-balls attempt at scaring her to death that morning by lying on her chest staring at her when she'd woken up. Salem rubbed against her leg again wending about the limb briefly before he trotted away, tail high in the air, heading back down the corridor with a lazy gait and out of sight.

Elissa shifted her spoon about her mostly empty bowl of oatmeal, scooping up a little more and bringing it up towards her mouth, only to pause as she heard a strange rattle-like sound coming from the direction of the front door. She frowned and lowered her spoon, placing it back down in the bowl as she got up, starting for the entryway of the flat, the rattling happening again. She paused hesitating a moment as she eyed the front door, her hazel gaze darting to the cat flap as it made the same 'rattle' type sound as it moved.

She stepped closer and swiftly unlocked the door and pulled it open and then blinked as a man with a buzz cut, blue eyes, big ears and a prominent nose, wearing a leather jacket over a dark purple shirt, jumped up from where he'd been kneeling down on his hands and knees in front of her door, frowning at her as she frowned at him.

"What're you doing here?" he demanded.

Elissa blinked, her brows arching at the man, gaze drifting to the board hung by the door glancing quickly over the faces depicted on the photos, none matching his, she focused her gaze back on him, "I woke up here."

"Well, what did you do that for?" the man huffed.

"Uh…" Elissa blinked again a bit thrown, "Well, I assumed it's 'cos I live here," she eyed the man, "What're you doing here?"

"Following a signal…" the man frowned, peering at a slender device in his hand, "I must have got the wrong one."

Elissa blinked again, brow furrowing quizzically, "You followed a signal…?"

"Yes," the man grumped and shook his device, "A wrong one, apparently," he returned his gaze to her, "You're not plastic, are you?"

"Um, what?" Elissa's brows quirked with confusion as she eyed the man and then grimaced lightly as he rapped his knuckles lightly against her forehead.

"Nope," he grinned at her, "Bonehead."

Elissa peered at him, a hand coming up to touch the spot he'd rapped his knuckles against, "Do you normally ask people you've just met if they're plastic?"

The man seemed to still, pausing in turning away, the words that had been rising in his throat forgotten as surprise shot through him and he turned to face her again fully, "What do you mean 'just met'?"

Elissa peered up at him, taking in his expression, "Oh," she murmured in realisation, "We've met before…?" she trailed as he nodded, eyeing her.

"Yeah."

"Oh," she muttered, brow furrowing slightly.

The man blinked, his gaze turning incredulous as he stared at her, "You really don't recognise me, at all?!"

"Um, no…" Elissa replied, her own expression turning apologetic.

"But it was last night!" the man insisted, "We met last night!"

"Last night…" Elissa trailed, her brow furrowing lightly again, before her gaze focused on him once more, there was only mention of her meeting one man last night in her journal and that was… "A-Are you 'the Doctor', then?"

"What do you mean 'am I the Doctor' of course I'm…" the Doctor trailed and stared with increasing incredulousness as she blinked up at him with honest surprise and almost disbelief, "You seriously don't recognise me?!"

Elissa pulled at her lower lip, "I thought I was having myself on…" she muttered, trailing as she turned and started back into her flat, leaving the Doctor to blink after her a short moment before he stepped uninvited into the flat, blue eyes taking in the board hung by the door and the shoulder bag under the sign 'take out with you' before he followed the brunette out of the entryway and paused as he took in the room, brow furrowing quizzically as he swept his gaze over the multitude of post-it notes stuck on various surfaces throughout it…

"So, last night, the living plastic creature stuff in Henrick's basement…" Elissa spoke drawing his gaze back to her, "That all really happened?"

"Yep," the Doctor nodded.

"Oh…" Elissa muttered blinking as she processed that and the Doctor's curious gaze turned concerned.

"You alright?"

"Yeah… think so," Elissa nodded, "I just, really thought I was having myself on."

"You've been saying that," the Doctor observed as Elissa's gaze caught on one of the multitudes of post-it notes.

"Oh…" she blinked at it, before she turned her gaze back to him and offered, "Did you want a coffee or a tea…?"

The Doctor blinked at her a touch thrown, before he glanced towards where she'd been looking before, his eyes landing on the same post-it note 'offer coffee or tea to guests. It's polite,' he turned his gaze back to her, mind really working now as he eyed her, "Might as well have a coffee," he decided, "Just milk, thanks," and watched as she nodded quickly and turned to wander into the kitchen.

The Time Lord's gaze fell on the small dining table, and the vase of Forgetmenots and the hopeful message on the white sticker label. Whilst in the kitchen Elissa flicked on the kettle. Her gaze scanning over a list of different types of coffee, and smiling as she found 'just milk'.

The Doctor looked away from the vase, brow furrowed, starting to get an idea of what was going on… his gaze landed on an indigo blue journal on the coffee table and he wandered over to it intrigued. 'READ ME' he read on the cover before picking it up and flicking through the pages rapidly, reading swiftly over the pages, "So," he called, brow furrowed, "You don't have any memory of your life before this morning?"

In the kitchen Elissa paused with the fridge open, a hand grasping her bottle of milk, "How did…" she scowled, "Are you reading my journal?!"

"Well," the Doctor shrugged unapologetically and dropped the journal back on the coffee table, "It does say 'READ ME' on the cover."

Elissa huffed and shut the fridge door with more force than necessary, moving back towards the boiling kettle and the mug she'd set out by it on the bench. Whilst in the living room the Doctor cast his gaze about the flat again, eyes catching sight of himself in a mirror. He shifted over to it, momentarily distracted, "Ahh, could've been worse!" he declared as he took in his reflection and prodded at his large ears, "Look at me ears."

He turned from the mirror, eyes landing on a metal filing cabinet. He arched a curious brow at it and started over to it, pulling open the top drawer and his brows raised as he took in the back to back spines of journals all of a likeness to the one sitting on the coffee table. He reached in and plucked one out from where it was nestled with the others and flicked through a few pages, frowning heavily. It was the same… a dot pointed catalogue of her memories of a day and a helpful 'to do list' for the morning and afternoon.

He shut it and placed it back in its spot, and looked towards the kitchen to see Elissa standing in the doorway a steaming mug in hand as she stared at him, "How long has your memory been like this for?"

"I-I couldn't tell you," Elissa muttered, starting towards him and her already furrowed brow furrowed deeper as he reached into the drawer again, moving to grab one of the journals further along the drawer. She grasped his arm with her free hand, "Enough snooping, please," she muttered and shut the drawer as he retracted his hand, "Here's your coffee," she muttered as she turned her gaze to him again, holding the mug out to him.

He took it eyeing her, "Do you wake up remembering anything?"

Elissa sighed, "My name… Elissa Brady. Other things I patch together from the post-it notes," she gestured around at the surfaces plastered with post-it notes, "And the journal."

"Any idea why?" the Doctor questioned.

"None," Elissa muttered, "I did look, but there's so much to go through and well. I saw all those," she gestured to the filing cabinet, "And I couldn't bring myself to look inside them. Didn't want to know if they were like that one."

The Doctor glanced at it, "What's wrong with that one?"

"Nothing," Elissa muttered, "But you read it, right? At least some of it?" he nodded, "So, you saw… it was repetitive… predictable," she frowned, "Boring and full of lists. I didn't want to look inside those ones and find them to be more of the same…" she trailed with a troubled sigh, "Can we talk about something else?" she requested, "You said you followed a signal here?"

"I did," the Doctor agreed, "But as I said, I must've caught the wrong one."

Elissa eyed him curiously, "This signal have something to do with the living plastic stuff?"

The Doctor set down his coffee on top of the filing cabinet, "I should get going," he muttered and stepped away from the filing cabinet to start back towards the front door, only to pause as a scuffling sound came from behind the couch, "Your cat inside?" he asked with a frown as he eyed the couch, hoping that a cat would slink out from behind it.

Elissa blinked at him, "Uh," she murmured as he cautiously stepped towards the couch, "Down the corridor I think."

The Doctor shifted closer and leaned over the couch to have a look only for the plastic arm he'd torn from the dummy last night to leap out at him and grab him by the throat. Elissa gasped in shock, before she hurried over to him as he flailed, falling back against one of the couches as he tried to yank it off himself. She grasped it and tugged and tugged with all her might, "Oh… come… on…" she gritted out between tugs, "Get… off… him…" she let out a yelp as it suddenly came free and she stumbled back a few steps. Her eyes widening as she watched it freeze mid spin in mid-air, before it flexed its plastic fingers and darted for her. She let out a shrill alarmed scream as it latched over her face, its plastic palm blocking her airways and fingers digging into her cheeks. She flailed stumbling as the Doctor leapt up off the couch and over to her, his hands latching over the plastic arm again and tugging at it determinedly. The two of them stumbling about the living room, falling up against the filing cabinet knocking the half full mug off it, the mug smashing as it landed heavily on the floor and then away again as they fought to get the plastic arm off her.

The two fell in the next moment, crashing rather painfully into the coffee table. The table crumpling under the pairs combined weight and they hit the floor in a tangle of limbs, all the while they continued to struggle with the arm that refused to release Elissa's face from its grasp. The Doctor managed to push Elissa up onto the couch he'd fallen against earlier, digging for his sonic screwdriver from in his inside jacket pocket, as Elissa continued yanking with growing desperation on the arm attached to her face.

The Doctor's hand closed about the sonic and he pulled it swiftly out of his pocket and aimed it at the arm disabling it with a quick buzz making the fingers go lax and he pulled it away, "It's alright," he assured Elissa as she panted for breath, "I've stopped it. There you go, you see?" he continued brightly as he tossed the now still arm to her, "Armless."

Elissa nodded, swallowing as she sucked in another grateful breath, and scrubbed a hand over her face in the hopes of removing the lingering feeling of its fingers digging into her cheeks, "Thanks!"

The Doctor shot her a quick grin, "Your welcome!" he replied before he leapt to his feet and grabbed the arm back and started swiftly for the door.

"Oh, wait a sec…" Elissa trailed as he didn't stop, leaping to her feet, snatching her journal from where it lay on the floor amid the mess of her now destroyed coffee table and hurried after him, snatching her fabric shoulder bag from its spot by the door as she chased him out of the flat and onto the staircase, "Hold on a minute," she urged as she stuffed her journal into her bag, "Could you just wait a second!"

"Not really," the Doctor replied, "In a bit of a rush. This is me," he turned to look at her, "Swanning off in a rush," he grinned, "See ya!"

"No, but…" Elissa continued, hurrying down the stairs after him, "That plastic arm, it tried to kill you! It tried to kill me!"

"Ten out of ten for observation," the Doctor remarked dryly over his shoulder, not pausing in his stride.

"Please don't walk away," Elissa pleaded still following him persistently down the narrow stairwell, "I just want to know what's going on."

"Well, tough," the Doctor retorted, still not pausing.

"Oh, please, I'm curious…" Elissa trailed as the Doctor didn't pay her any heed, "Not fair," she muttered.

"Life isn't," the Doctor retorted as he neared the gate, Elissa still dogging his steps down the stairwell, "Get used to it."

He stepped out of the gate and continued on almost sighing as Elissa followed him out and away from the block of flats.

"I'm not going away," she told him flatly and the Doctor paused and turned back to her, "I'll follow you all over London, if I gotta."

He arched a brow at her, exasperated and amused at her persistence, "Is that supposed to sound tough?"

"Um… well, that depends," Elissa murmured as she eyed him hopefully, "Did it work?"

The Doctor smirked, "Nope."

Elissa sighed, disappointed, before eyeing him again, "Well, who are you?"

"I told you!" the Time Lord exclaimed, "The Doctor."

"Yeah," Elissa frowned, "But that's a title. So," she pressed, "Doctor who?"

"Just the Doctor," he insisted.

"The Doctor," Elissa repeated, brows quirking upward a bit.

"Hello!" the Doctor grinned and waved the plastic arm at her as if to say 'that's me'. He turned to start away and glanced to the side as Elissa fell into step with him, "You serious about trying to follow me all over London?"

"Yeah," Elissa nodded, "And I will," she insisted and she reached over and grasped the plastic arm, the bemused Doctor letting her pull it from his grasp, "Please, you can tell me," she eyed him, "Are you some kind of police?"

"No, I was just passing through," the Doctor replied, before swallowing a little heavily as he looked away from her, "I'm a long way from home."

"Maybe I did something wrong and can't remember it…" she mused and turned her eyes to him again, "Is that why the plastic stuff keeps coming after me?"

"Oh!" the Doctor huffed focusing back on the issue at hand, "Suddenly the entire world revolves around you!" he huffed and Elissa eyed him with a furrowed brow, "You were just an accident," he informed her, "You got in the way that's all."

"It tried to kill me, twice, cos I got in the way?" Elissa muttered, brow furrowing heavier as she pondered that.

"It was after me, not you," the Doctor replied, eyeing her troubled expression as she stared at him, "Last night," he continued, "In the shop. I was there, you, blundered in, almost ruined the whole thing," he grumbled, "This morning I was tracking it down, it was tracking me down… the only reason it fixed on you at all, is because you met me."

"So… the world doesn't revolve around me, but it somehow revolves around you," Elissa huffed, "Is that what you're saying?"

"Sort of, yeah," the Doctor replied with a bright smile.

Elissa shook her head, smiling back, a tension she hadn't realised was in her shoulders leaving, a short amused sound escaping her, "You're full of it."

He grinned again, "Sort of, yeah."

Elissa rolled her eyes, lips still quirked up in amusement, before her gaze went back down to the arm in her hands, "So, this living plastic stuff," she turned her eyes to him again, "Who else knows about it?"

"No one," he shrugged and Elissa frowned.

"So…" Elissa trailed slightly, "You're on your own?"

"Well, who else is there?" the Doctor asked, giving her a look as they continued to walk, "I mean, you lot, all you do is eat chips, go to bed, and watch telly! While all the time, underneath you, there's a war going on."

Elissa grimaced that sounded far too much like the life she read about having in her journal, "Well," she fixed him with a determined look, "That's not all I want to do," and he eyed her with mild surprise and consideration, "So, start from the beginning. Tell me about this living plastic stuff."

"Creatures," the Doctor corrected.

Elissa blinked, "Ok, tell me about these living plastic creatures," she reiterated and the Doctor found himself smiling again as she waved the arm at him as they crossed the street, "How'd you make it 'armless'?"

"The thing controlling it projects life into the arm," he started to explain, "I cut off the signal, dead."

"Ok…" Elissa nodded, "And how does or was the thing controlling it, controlling it?"

"By thought," the Doctor replied.

"So, thought control?"

"Thought control," the Doctor confirmed and then eyed her with concern as she fell silent, "Are you alright?"

"Yeah. Thinking," Elissa murmured and focused her gaze on him, "So, 'the thing controlling it', who's that?"

"Long story," the Doctor waved off.

"I've got time," Elissa replied.

"I don't," the Doctor responded.

"Oh but…" Elissa exclaimed, "I still have so many questions! I mean, why shop window dummies? It seems weird that the thing controlling the living plastic started with dummies," she rattled off quickly and then took a breath, "What does it want?"

"They want to overthrow the human race and destroy you," the Doctor answered and glanced at her again, "Do you believe me?"

Elissa sighed, "I don't want to," she murmured.

"But you do," the Doctor stated.

"Well… this living plastic stuff has tried to kill me twice already in the space of two days. So," Elissa nodded, "Yeah."

The Doctor slowed and then stopped, "You should go home."

"Oh but…" Elissa protested as she too came to a stop turning to look at him.

The Doctor huffed out a lightly exasperated breath, "I've answered your questions."

"Yeah…" Elissa allowed, he had answered a fair few, "But," she eyed him hopefully, "I still have so many."

The Doctor eyed her, "One more," he conceded.

"Just one…?" Elissa muttered… hardly seemed fair when she had so many still rocking about in her head. The Doctor gave a firm nod and she tugged at her lower lip, thinking another moment, "Alright then, who are you, really?"

The Doctor was silent a brief moment and then stepped towards her, "Do you know like we were saying? About the Earth revolving?" and Elissa blinked and nodded her brow pinching slightly, "It's like when you were a kid. The first time they tell you the world's turning and you just can't quite believe it because everything looks like it's standing still."

Elissa's pinched brow deepened… trying in vain to recall that feeling… even as surprise took her… the Earth actually revolved…?

The Doctor smiled a bit as he watched her glance about in surprise, "It's that feeling. The one your experiencing right now."

Her gaze returned to him, "The Earth actually revolves?"

"Hmm, yes, around the sun," he explained and Elissa peered up towards it, "Oi! Don't look directly at it! You'll hurt your eyes!" he huffed and Elissa jerked her gaze back down, blinking away a couple of spots that were dancing in front of her eyes, before focusing on him again entirely as he started speaking again, "That rotation you can't see. I can feel it," he explained, gently taking one of her hands in one of his own and started to slowly trace a circle around on her palm, "The turn of the Earth. The ground beneath our feet is spinning at a thousand miles an hour. And the entire planet is hurtling around the sun at sixty-seven thousand miles an hour, and I can feel it. We're falling through space, the two of us, right now. Clinging to the skin of this tiny little world, and if we let go..." he released Elissa's hand and her gaze snapped to him startled the brunette having been so absorbed in his explanation, "That's who I am. Now, forget me, Elissa Brady," he told her seriously before he grabbed the arm back from her and waved it at her this time in farewell, giving her a last smile ignoring the disappointment in her hazel eyes as she stared at him, "Go home, back to your lists and post-it notes. You're safer there."

Elissa stood still watching him walk away from her and towards a large blue box, "No problem there," she muttered heavily, "Come tomorrow I won't even recall you existed…" well, until she read her journal… but there was no guarantee that she would believe it… probably think she was 'having herself on' just like she had this morning… and there'd be no Doctor showing up to tell her otherwise this time… she stared after him a moment longer before she slowly and reluctantly turned and started to walk back the way they'd come, her steps feeling heavy and brow furrowed, saddened that by tomorrow she'd have forgotten him.

She paused as a sudden gust of wind blew and a wheezing sound came from somewhere behind her. She frowned and whirled back around, running back to where she'd watched the Doctor walk away from her with lighter feet, to see that the police box that he'd been walking towards, something she'd only really noticed in passing, had vanished as if it hadn't been there at all. She blinked at the spot owlishly, teeth sinking into her lower lip as she cast her gaze about the bright sunny morning, looking for any sign of where the big blue box may have gone.

The loud sound of a ringing phone came from the depths of her fabric shoulder bag and Elissa frowned as she started digging through it, searching for the source of the sound, before pulling out her mobile and blinking at the words lighting up her screen as the device continued to ring, 'Rose Calling…'

"Hey," she heard a bright friendly voice come through the phone as she answered and brought it up to her ear, "It's Rose, your best friend," Rose continued cheerily, "Check the board by the front door if you haven't already!"

"I've checked the board," Elissa muttered distracted.

"Great," Rose exclaimed, "And what about the journal?" she questioned, "You read that yet?"

"Yeah, read it," Elissa replied still distracted.

"Awesome," Rose grinned, "Sorry, I'm a bit later in calling than usual, mum's been nattering at me all morning about having to find a new job and trying to convince me to help her convince you to sue for compensation."

Elissa blinked… she hadn't read anything about 'suing' in her journal, "Compensation?"

"Yeah, to do with Henrick's blowing up… you did put that in your journal, right? Oh, Gosh! You didn't try and go to work, did you? I was worried about that…"

"It was in my journal," Elissa cut in, "Suing wasn't. And no, I didn't try and go into work," she informed her.

"Oh, good," Rose sighed, relieved.

Elissa turned and started walking back towards the Estate and the flat she'd woken up in, "Rose?"

"Yeah?" Rose replied curiously, hearing a questioning tone in her friend's voice.

"If I was wanting to look something up… find out more about something… how would I go about that?"

"A computer with access to the internet," Rose replied without hesitation.

"Right…" Elissa nodded slowly, "And, where would I find one of those?"

"Mickey's got one," Rose replied.

"Would he let me use it?" Elissa asked, biting her lip hopefully.

"I wouldn't have mentioned it if he wouldn't," Rose replied, "Hold on, I'll come over and we can go up to his flat together."

"Oh… I'm not actually – I'm not in the Estate at the moment," Elissa admitted, "I'm walking back to it now though."

"I'll meet you down by the gate then," Rose decided a she started shifting about the flat, "What are you doing out and about so early?"

"Um…" Elissa blinked hesitating, "I'll tell you when I see you," she evaded and hung up the phone before stuffing it back in her bag…

***O*O*O***

"I still don't believe it," Rose muttered from where she was perched on the end of Mickey's bed, Elissa's journal open on her lap as she peered down at the writing of what had happened to Elissa yesterday, whilst Elissa herself was sitting in Mickey's desk chair where the blond had set her up to enable her to search for what she wanted.

"Told you," Elissa sighed, not looking away from the screen of the computer she was using with Mickey's blessing, "I didn't either when I first read it, but then he showed up this morning and a plastic arm tried to kill me," she explained again.

Rose looked up from the journal and eyed the back of her friends head, "And you're sure you weren't dreaming it?"

"If I dream… I don't remember ever doing so," Elissa muttered with distraction as she poked the keys on the keyboard with a finger, brow furrowed in concentration as she tried to narrow the overwhelming number of results down.

Rose sighed and shut the journal, "I dunno Lissa, living plastic creature things?"

"I'm not asking you to believe me, Rose," Elissa murmured frowning as she backspaced her search and paused her finger hovering over the keys as she contemplated what to try as a search next, "I probably wouldn't have if it hadn't happened to me. I was convinced this morning I was having myself on…"

Rose set the journal down on Mickey's bed and stood, "Except this 'Doctor' came to call…"

"Yeah," Elissa agreed.

Rose blew out a breath and stepped toward Elissa's turned back, "Who is he anyway?" she asked as she looked at the screen over Elissa's shoulder.

"Well," Elissa glanced over her shoulder at the blond, "That's what I'm trying to find out."

"Why do you care so much?" Rose questioned, eyeing her friend, "I mean, no offence, Lissa, but you're going to forget all this tomorrow."

"Yeah," Elissa agreed, she would and that sucked… she hated that, that all this would mean nothing to her tomorrow. That she'd probably wake up and think that perhaps she'd been going crazy the past couple of days or like this morning think she was playing some kind of weird prank on herself. She set her jaw with determination and turned her gaze back to the screen, "But that doesn't mean that I can't be as curious as I want to be today," she stated definitively and jabbed her finger at the keys again.

"Alright, Lissa," Rose murmured, smiling a little as she turned her gaze to the screen again as the new set of results popped up and her gaze settled on the top one 'Doctor Who?... do you know this man contact Clive here," as Elissa clicked on it.

The site page loaded and Elissa squinted a bit at the fuzzy picture that popped up, "It's fuzzy but… that looks like him. Like the Doctor."

Rose glanced at her again, "Better click 'Contact Clive' then," she murmured and gestured at the link, Elissa nodded and shifted the mouse until its curser was hovering over the 'Contact Clive' link and clicked.

"Contact who?" Mickey asked, brows quirking at them as he strolled in a mug of coffee in each hand for the two women in his bedroom.

***O*O*O***

"You're not coming in!" Rose insisted as Mickey reluctantly pulled up across the street from the address Clive had given them, "He's safe. He's got a wife and kids."

"Yeah, but who told you two that?" Mickey huffed, eyeing the house, the whole street, distrustfully, before turning to look at Rose and Elissa once again, "He did. That's exactly what an internet lunatic murderer would say."

"Neither of you have to come in," Elissa told them from her spot in the back seat of Mickey's car. It was her that really wanted to come after all.

"No, I'm coming," Rose insisted ignoring her boyfriend's unhappy glower, "I wanna find out what kind of information he's got that he can't just send it in an email."

"I'm telling you," Mickey huffed insistently, "He's an internet lunatic murderer! It's exactly the type of thing they say to lure unsuspecting people into his lair."

"He's not," Rose huffed and opened the car door and hopped out, turning and releasing the front seat so that Elissa could clamber out of the back of the car.

"Thanks, Mickey won't be long," Elissa murmured, before shutting the door behind her and starting across the residential street with Rose. Mickey staring after them with concern, before his gaze was drawn by a man that was wheeling out his black wheelie bin. Mickey glowered at the man with suspicion. Much to the man's bewilderment as he shot Mickey a confused look in return, before he turned and headed back inside.

Elissa and Rose walked up the drive and to the front door of the house, the brunette knocking on the door and the two wait a brief moment, the pair hearing movement on the other side of it before it swung open and an 11 year old boy stared up at them, "Hi!" Elissa smiled, "Clive's expecting us. We were emailing."

The boy rolled his eyes at that and stepped away from the door, "Dad! It's a couple of your nutters!" he shouted, drawing the mans attention.

The boy disappeared back into the house as Clive walked up to the door a friendly smile on his face, "Sorry. Hello. You must be Elissa," he nodded at the brunette, "And you must be Rose," he turned his gaze on the blond as both girls nodded, "I'm Clive. Obviously."

"Uh, I better tell you now," Rose started and gestured over her shoulder towards the car they'd come from, "My boyfriend's waiting in the car, just in case you're going to kill us," she told him and the three chuckled.

"No, good point. No murders," Clive agreed good naturedly. He waved to Mickey who stared at him distrustfully still, but nodded, satisfied at least that Rose had done as he'd asked.

"Who is it?" Clive's wife Caroline called from the floor above them.

"Oh, it's something to do with the Doctor! These young women have been reading the website," Clive called back, before turning his attention to the two women, "Please come through," he ushered them politely, "I'm in the shed."

Clive led the two down the corridor as Caroline came down the stairs, a clothes basket under an arm, "Young women?" she questioned with bemusement, "They're girls?" she laughed with amusement and smiled ironically, before shaking her head as she closed the front door that Clive had left open.

***O*O*O***

"A lot of this stuff is quite sensitive," Clive told them as he led them through the shed and over to his set up, "I couldn't just send it to you," he continued to explain as Elissa and Rose glanced about the shed, "People might intercept it, if you know what I mean," he stated conspiratorially, "If you dig deep enough – keep a lively mind – this Doctor keeps cropping up all over the place. Political diaries, conspiracy theories. Even ghost stories," Rose arched her brows arms crossing over her chest as she fought the urge to scoff out loud at what she was hearing, successfully stilling the urge as she glanced at Elissa who was listening with rapt attention, "No first name no last name. Just the Doctor. Always the Doctor. And the title seems to have been passed down from father to son, it appears to be an inheritance," he continued before pointing over his shoulder at a screen set up behind him that was displaying one of the many pictures he'd gathered over his many years of research, "That's your Doctor there, isn't it?"

The girls followed his finger to the screen, gazes landing on the photo and the brunette nodded her agreement, "Yeah. That's him."

"I tracked it down to the Washington public archive last year," Clive told them, "The online photo's enhanced, but if we look at the original…" he opened up the slender folder he'd picked up and pulled out photos, first showing them one of the Doctor standing in a large crowd, one face among many, "November the 22nd, 1963," he explained and Elissa's brow furrowed a little in confusion as he continued glancing up at him and then back down to the photo, remaining quiet as she listened to his explanation, The assassination of President Kennedy."

"Must be his father," Rose dismissed as she too peered at the second photo they were being shown.

Elissa gave a little nod, "That'd make the most sense… he'd look a lot older now if it was him," she glanced at Rose, "Right?"

The blond nodded.

"Going further back… April 1912," he said as he picked up a photo album and brought it over, "This is a photo of the Daniels family, Southampton. And friend," he pointed to the Doctor and Elissa blinked brow furrowing slightly… it was the same, the exact same face again… looking no older than his other photos but… years and years apart, "This was taken the day before they were due to sail for the new world. On the Titanic. And for some unknown reason, they cancelled the trip and survived. And…" he pulled out a sketch with careful hands, "1883. Another Doctor. And look – the same lineage. He's identical. This one washed up on the coast of Sumatra on the very day Krakatoa exploded. The Doctor is a legend woven throughout history. When disaster comes, he's there. He has a storm in his wake. And he has one constant companion."

"And who's that?" Elissa asked.

"Death," Clive stated ominously and Rose stiffened, her already furrowed brow furrowing further as she stared at the man.

***O*O*O***

Outside on the street where Mickey was still waiting in his car, peering about with suspicion. The black wheelie bin that had been brought out to the curb earlier started to shuffle its way towards him. Catching his attention…

***O*O*O***

"If the Doctor's back…" Clive continued seriously, "If you've seen him, Elissa… then one thing's for certain. We're all in danger. If he's singled you out… if the Doctor's making house calls then… God help you."

Elissa swallowed at that, brow slightly furrowed, "But who is he? You still haven't said who you think he is."

"I think he's the same man. I think he's immortal," Clive admitted seriously, "I think he's an alien from another world."

***O*O*O***

"Alright," Rose exclaimed as she pulled open the passenger side door of Mickey's car, "He's a nutter! Off his head! Complete online conspiracy freak!" she huffed as she allowed Elissa to clamber into the back of the car before pushing the front seat back up and hopping in herself, "And we shouldn't have come!" she groused with annoyance glancing back at Elissa who appeared distracted and deeply thoughtful, "Don't take anything he said seriously, Lissa!" she exclaimed with alarm, "He's seriously a nutter!" she sighed out a calming breath and smiled determined to change the subject and get her friends mind off this 'Doctor' person, "What are we gonna do for dinner tonight?" she asked.

Elissa blinked, focusing her gaze on her friend, "Didn't you say your mum wanted me to come round for tea again?"

"Well, yeah," Rose shrugged, "But I can call and tell her we went out instead," she grinned, "I fancy a pizza?"

"Pizza?" Elissa arched a brow.

"Hmm, yep. We'll get your favourite," Rose promised and Elissa sighed and gave a little shrug, that kernel of frustration rising again at the reminder that the blond and probably even Mickey and Jackie knew more about her than she knew about herself.

"Pizzzaaa!" Mickey elongated the word strangely as he gripped the steering wheel, "P-p-p-pizza!" he stuttered.

Rose blinked at him, a brow quirking, "Hmm, or maybe a Chinese place it's been ages since we did Chinese…"

"Pizza!" Mickey repeated, cutting Rose off, grinning rather manically as he took off down the road, whilst Elissa gripped the handle of the door as the car served a bit erratically back and forth along the street.

***O*O*O***

"Do you think I should try the hospital?" Rose asked as the three of them sat around a table at a pizza restaurant.

"Did you want to work at the hospital?" Elissa asked.

"Not particularly," Rose sighed, sitting back in her chair a bit, "But Suki said they had jobs going in the canteen. We could maybe apply together…"

"I dunno," Elissa muttered brow furrowed, "I think I'll try looking at another shop or something," she grimaced, "Seemed easy enough to deal with my circumstances there."

"Right…" Rose muttered and puffed out her cheeks as she considered, "I could do my A levels… I dunno. It's all Jimmy Stone's fault," she grumbled and scowled, "I only left school because of him, and look where he ended up."

"Why?" Elissa blinked, "Where'd he end up?"

Rose glanced at her mouth opening to reply, when Mickey who was sitting across from them grinning widely cut in, "So, where did you meet this Doctor?"

Rose shot him an irritated look, "I'm sorry, weren't we actively not talking about that? Besides we were having a conversation."

"Because I reckon it started back at the shop, am I right?" Mickey pressed on, cutting across Rose again as he stared intently at Elissa, "He have something to do with that."

Elissa eyed him, brows quirking, "What does it matter?"

"Come on," Mickey cajoled insistently, still smiling at her widely… manically.

"Possibly," Elissa muttered.

"What was he doing there?" Mickey questioned intently.

"Must you keep going on about it, Mickey!" Rose huffed, shifting in her chair, "It might sound daft, but I don't think it's safe," she admitted, "I think he's dangerous."

"I think he's lonely," Elissa murmured softly and Rose turned to her with a surprised blink, brows quirked upwards and Elissa shifted in her chair and fiddled with the napkin on the table in front of her, "Just the impression I got…" it had only been for a brief moment as they'd been talking on the street but it had been there in his eyes.

"But you can trust me," Mickey cut in again drawing the pairs attention back to him, his gaze still focused intently on Elissa, "Can't she," he flicked his gaze to Rose, "Sweetheart. Babe, sugar, babe, sugar," his gaze returned to Elissa as Rose eyed him with confusion, "You can tell me anything. Tell me about the Doctor and what he's planning, and I can help you, Elissa. Tell her, sweetheart," his gaze flicked back to Rose as he continued, "Babe, babe, sugar, sweetheart."

"What're you doing that for?" Rose asked with continued confusion, he'd never done anything like that before.

A waiter approached the table the three were seated around, a bottle in hand, "Your champagne," he proffered it at Mickey.

"We didn't order any champagne," Mickey dismissed, his eyes locked intently on Elissa, he reached across the table and grabbed her by the wrist making her still in the middle of tearing her napkin into little pieces, "Where's the Doctor?"

"Oi!" Rose exclaimed frowning at him, "Leave her alone Mickey."

"Ma'am," the waiter spoke again this time proffering the bottle at Rose, "Your champagne."

"It's not ours," Rose waved him off and the waiter shifted away, "Mickey, what is it?"

Elissa frowned as she tried to tug her wrist out from under his grip only for it to tighten in response, "Let go!"

"Ma'am," the waiter's voice came from around the other side of the table, the man now proffering the bottle at Elissa, "Your champagne."

"It's not mine either," Elissa replied, before grimacing as she tried to pull her wrist free again, "I mean it Mickey, let go!"

"What's wrong?" Rose asked, frowning heavily at her boyfriend, concerned and a little alarmed over his behaviour.

"I need to find out how much you know, Elissa," Mickey retorted, hand tightening about her wrist again, "So, where is he?"

"Doesn't anybody want this champagne?" the waiter cut in, loudly.

"Look," Mickey huffed with exasperation, "We didn't order i…" he trailed off as he looked up, Elissa and Rose following his gaze. Mickey smirked, "Ah. Gotcha."

The Doctor shook the bottle, "Don't mind me," he said cheerily, grinning as he began to open the top, "I'm just toasting my new friend here, who really should've just gone home," he continued as he started fiddling with the cage around the cork, working it open and aiming the mouth of the bottle towards Mickey, "On the house!" he exclaimed as he got it off and the cork popped free of the bottle, smacking directly into Mickey's skull. The cork absorbing into the skin instead of bouncing off and Mickey chewed for a moment, Elissa and Rose watching in shock and alarm as he spit the now mangled cork out.

"Anyway," the Auton Mickey said, standing, glowering at the Doctor as he shifted his hand into a plastic club.

Rose screamed as she and Elissa fled the table a moment before the Auton Mickey smashed the table with its plastic club. Whilst the Doctor discarded the champagne bottle and grabbed the Auton about the head and proceeded to yank until he managed to pull the head free of the body, ignoring the panicked and frightened screams of the other diners in the restaurant.

"Don't think that's gonna stop me," the Auton Mickey declared with a glower and the Doctor grinned at it whilst around him more screams broke out.

"We've got to get people out," Elissa exclaimed as she glanced around at the screaming, terrified patrons, "Rose!" she exclaimed grabbing the blond by the arm at seeing her staring wide eyed with shock as the Doctor held her 'boyfriends' head in his hand as the body continued to flail about destructively, "Rose!" the blond turned her wide eyes to her, "We've got to get people out!" she stated again.

Rose swallowed and nodded, the rest of the world seeming to come back to her, her heart pounding against her chest with continued alarm and fear, "Uh… fire alarm," she called and started towards it, Elissa following her.

The blond smacked her hand against the bell and an alarm blared through the restaurant.

"Out!" Elissa shouted over the shrill alarm, "Everyone get out now!" the patrons scrambled towards the exit as the headless Auton body continued to flail, its clubbed arms waving about smacking into things, "Get out! Get out! Get out!" she shouted and the headless body turned and started towards them, arms still chopping wildly through the air.

"Come on!" Rose exclaimed, grabbing Elissa's hand, "There's an exit through the kitchen," she told her as she turned and ran, the brunette moving with her and the Doctor with the Auton head tucked under his arm, ran after them.

The Auton body destroying more of the restaurant as it followed after them.

Rose and Elissa ran straight down the alley towards the gate whilst the Doctor calmly shut the restaurant door they'd burst through, pulling out his sonic screwdriver. The slender device whirring as he aimed it at the door, locking it, before he turned and started calmly down the alley after the two humans that had reached the locked gate.

"It's locked!" Rose shouted with alarm, smacking her hands against the locked gate with fearful agitation.

"Um, Doctor!" Elissa called urgently, turning to see the man strolling calmly towards them, "That tube-y buzzy thing! Will that undo locks?!"

"Tube-y buzzy thing?" the Doctor muttered a touch indignantly.

"The thing you used to make the plastic arm armless," Elissa huffed with growing alarm as the headless plastic body started banging against the locked metal back exit of restaurant, "I dunno what it's called!"

"Sonic screwdriver," the Doctor stated.

"Who cares!" Rose cried rattling the padlocked gate with growing desperation, "If you've got something use it!"

"Nah," the Doctor replied as he tucked his sonic screwdriver away, "Tell you what," he continued lightly, "Let's go in here," he nodded in a direction.

Elissa turned again and looked at him, her gaze drifting in the direction he was walking to land on a big blue box and she blinked in surprise, recognising it from earlier in the day, "Does that thing follow you or something?"

The Doctor grinned over his shoulder at her as he unlocked the door, "Or something," he replied with amusement, before disappearing inside.

Elissa blinked and started towards the box. Rose looked at her incredulously, "Elissa! It's a wooden box! You can't hide inside a wooden box! Elissa!" she called again as the brunette ignored her as she pushed open the door that had closed behind the Doctor and disappeared inside herself, "Oh, my God… it's gonna get us!" Rose breathed with horror as she turned back to the locked gate and tried again, desperately.

Inside the big blue box, Elissa blinked, gaping as she took in the interior whilst the Doctor fiddled with the head by a rounded console, "How…"

"Give me a minute," the Doctor cut in before she could get more than a word out, not looking up from what he was doing, a second before the door burst open and Rose ran in, and stopped her eyes wide with shock and alarm as she stared at the impossibly large space and then turned and ran back out.

Elissa stared after her with concern, "Shouldn't we get her back in here?" she asked, moving to step towards the doors.

"She'll be back in a moment," the Doctor replied with certainty, not looking up from what he was working on.

The door to the Tardis burst back open and Rose ran back in slightly out of breath from her frantic run about the blue box, "It's going to follow us!" the blond exclaimed with desperation, glancing over her shoulder scared that the body of the headless Mickey that had just punched a hole in the metal back door of the restaurant would break through completely and burst through the doors of the wooden box they were standing about in any second.

"The assembled hordes of Genghis Khan couldn't get through that door, and believe me they've tried. Now, the both of you shut up a minute," the Doctor ordered, his brow furrowed in concentration.

"You see," the Doctor started to explain after a moment of silence had passed, walking around the console, "The arm was too simple, but the head's perfect," he set the head down on the console wiring the last bits of it into the Tardis console, "I can use it to trace the signal back to the original source. Right," he turned to face the two humans in his ship with a grin, giving them his full attention, "Where do you want to start?"

"Are all tall blue boxes bigger on the inside?" Elissa asked as she let her gaze wander around the large room again.

"Nope," the Doctor grinned at her, "This tall blue box is special."

"Oh," Elissa breathed and nodded, glancing about again... silently agreeing the tall blue box was indeed special.

Rose swallowed as she too glanced around, feeling rather overwhelmed, "It's alien," she spoke drawing Elissa's attention back to her.

"Yup," the Doctor agreed.

The blonde's gaze darted to him, eyes wide, "Are you alien?"

"Yes," the Doctor replied and Rose stared wide eyed.

"You're from outer space," Rose reiterated feeling her head start to spin just a little and she took a deep steadying breath.

And Elissa blinked, "Oh…" she murmured lowly, eyes widening a little more with surprise, "That type of alien…"

"Yes," the Doctor repeated and then eyed the two in his ship, "Is that alright?"

"Why wouldn't it be?" Elissa questioned.

The Doctor shrugged and leaned against the console as he eyed the brunette as she turned her gaze about the console room again, "Not everyone takes it very well," his gaze flicked briefly to the blond with them, taking in her rather overwhelmed expression as she glanced about the console room with wide eyes.

"Don't they?" Elissa asked her gaze returning to him.

The Doctor turned his gaze back to the brunette, "Nope."

"Oh…" Elissa murmured again, her head tilting a little thoughtfully as she pondered over that, whilst one of her hands shifted to grip the fabric strap of her shoulder bag.

The Doctor eyed Elissa as she glanced about the console again, "It's called the Tardis, this thing," he patted the console fondly as Elissa's attention returned to him, "T.A.R.D.I.S. That's Time And Relative Dimension In Space."

Rose let out a sob as she burst into tears, drawing their attention back to her, "That's alright," the Doctor nodded, "Culture shock. Happens to the best of us," he assured as he shifted about the console.

"Rose?" Elissa murmured, shifting towards her, brow furrowed slightly with concern and then blinked as the blond latched onto her and she returned the blonde's hug, "We're ok, you know…" she tried to assure.

"No, not that… Mickey," Rose murmured taking a shuddering breath.

And Elissa's eyes widened and saddened for the young man that she couldn't really recall knowing all that well, but was a friend according to the board on her wall… and he'd been kind… before he'd become living plastic. He'd been kind. Her gaze went briefly to the head that the Doctor had set down on the console after wiring it in.

"Did they kill him?" Rose asked as she turned her gaze to the Doctor and Elissa's gaze went to him as well, "Mickey?" Rose added at the confused look the Doctor shot her in response, "Did they kill Mickey?" she continued to question tearfully, her watery eyes narrowing on him with agitation, "Is he dead?"

"Oh…" the Doctor grimaced, "Didn't think of that," he muttered and scratched at his ear… ignoring the accusing look he was receiving from the blond.

"He's my boyfriend. You pulled his head off. They copied him and you didn't even think?" Rose exclaimed, her tone turning as accusing as her look.

"Um," Elissa cut in as her eyes widening once more as her gaze was drawn back to the head resting on the console, "Is he supposed to be melting?"

"Melting?" the Doctor parroted with alarm turning towards the console as Rose exclaimed aghast, releasing her hold on Elissa.

"You're letting him melt!"

"Oh, no, no, no, no, NO!" the Doctor exclaimed unhappily as he started to frantically run about the console, pressing buttons and pulling levers.

"What're you doing?!" Rose questioned with alarm as she and Elissa watched him as he darted about the console.

"Reviving the signal, it's fading!" the Doctor replied not pausing in what he was doing, "Wait I've got it…" he turned his head to look at the monitor, "No, no, no, no, no, no, no!" he groused hands moving frantically over the console. The Tardis starting to shake as the engines stirred to life, the rota rising and falling.

"Now, what're you doing?" Elissa called over the sound of the Tardis engines as the ship shook about them.

"Following it!" the Doctor replied, not tearing his eyes from the console "Almost there! Almost there!" he pressed some more buttons and pulled another lever, "Here we go!" he shouted as the shaking came to a stop and he turned and dashed for the doors.

"You can't go out there!" Rose cried as Elissa moved to follow him out the doors of the Tardis, "It's not safe!"

"Is this where the signal's coming from?" Elissa asked as she stepped out the doors and glanced about the area they'd come moved to.

"No, I lost it," the Doctor bemoaned as Rose poked her head out the doors and blinked as she stepped out herself, "I got so close."

"We've moved," the blond muttered, before she glanced back at the strange blue box with a mildly dubious expression, "Does it fly?"

"Disappears there, reappears here, you wouldn't understand," the Doctor replied distracted as he paced a bit. His gaze searching.

"Does an awful lot of shaking for disappearing there and reappearing here," Elissa commented as she too looked back at the box.

"I told you, you wouldn't understand," the Doctor muttered, still casting his gaze about the embankment, searching…

"But," Rose swallowed heavily, "If we're somewhere else, what about that headless thing? It's still on the loose."

"It melted with the head," the Doctor muttered dismissively, before glancing back at them briefly with his brow slightly furrowed with annoyance, he was busy, "Are you two going to witter on all night?"

Rose sighed lowly, her heart feeling heavy in her chest, "I'll have to tell his mother…" she lamented, wondered just how she was going to explain that one… she doubted very much that 'being turned into a plastic thing' would go over well… she was still struggling to believe it! Her pained expression turned angry as noticed the Doctor staring at her in question, annoyance at the continued to distraction shadowing his expression, "Mickey!" Rose exclaimed angrily, scowling heavily at him, "I'll have to tell his mother he's dead, and you just went and forgot him, again!" Rose's eyes narrowed further simmering anger flaring to a boil as the Doctor rolled his eyes, completely unconcerned, "You were right, you are alien!" she exclaimed hotly, before she turned on her heel and stormed away without a backwards glance, not realising in her fury that Elissa wasn't walking away with her.

The Time Lord who'd glanced after the retreating blond, before he turned his gaze to Elissa who was staring after the blond herself, "You not gonna storm off in a huff then?"

Elissa turned back to him, "No…" she trailed briefly eyeing his back as he turned away from her, "You gonna tell me to go home?"

The Doctor hesitated. He should. He really should. He really, really should, "No," he found himself saying despite that.

"Good," Elissa murmured relieved, smiling a little, "I doubted I could find my way back to the flat from here…" she trailed and eyed his back, "Did you really forget about Mickey?"

"Might have…" the Doctor muttered, "I've got more important things on my mind than one blundering ape."

"Like?" Elissa prompted, eyeing the Doctor with a slightly furrowed brow. She wasn't sure why but she had a feeling that he was referring to humans.

"Like," he retorted with annoyance as he turned to look at her, "Saving all the blundering apes on top of this planet, alright?"

"Yeah," Elissa nodded, "Alright," she shook her head a little and blew out a breath, her gaze catching on the tall blue box that was bigger on the inside, hazel eyes going to the writing above the door, "I thought you said it was called a Tardis."

"It is!" the Doctor insisted.

"Then," Elissa turned her head to look at him again, "Why's it got 'Police Public Call Box' written on it?"

"It's a disguise," the Doctor replied.

"Oh!" Elissa blinked her gaze going back to the blue box, "So it doesn't really look like a tall blue wooden box?"

"No," the Doctor grinned, giving his ship a fond pat.

Elissa eyed the Tardis for another moment, before turning her gaze back to the Doctor, "What is a police public call box?"

"It's a telephone box from the 1950s," the Doctor explained.

Elissa nodded and then blinked at him, "If you're an alien. How come you know so much about Earth?"

"I've visited a few times," the Doctor replied dismissively, "I rather like this planet… one of my favourites."

"Is that why you sound like us… humans I mean," Elissa murmured curiously and he blinked at her, "I mean you sound from close by…"

"No," the Doctor cut in, "That's not why," he frowned at her, arms folding a touch indignantly, "What's wrong with my accent?"

"Nothing…" Elissa assured and then shrugged a little, "It just sounds a lot like mine."

"That's cos you're from the North," the Doctor replied.

"Oh… am I?" Elissa blinked absorbing that, fingers twitching to grab her journal and a pen from her bag and jot that down so that she could remember that tomorrow, "But hold on," she frowned as another thought hit her, "If I'm from the North and you sound like me… doesn't that mean you're from the North too?"

"Lots of planets have a North," the Doctor retorted dismissively, "And technically, you sound like me," he stated, "My lot came before your lot," he clarified.

Elissa blinked, "They did?"

"Yep!" the Doctor grinned a bit at her expression.

"Oh…" Elissa murmured fingers twitching again… it was getting later… and she didn't want to forget… not a moment of this day… but she would… and she'd have to rely on her journal and hope she didn't believe that she was going crazy these past two days, "Ok," she nodded, "And, um… this living plastic creature. What's it doing here? Does it have a grudge or something?"

"Nope. It's got nothing against you. It loves you. You've got such a good planet. Lots of smoke and oil, plenty of toxins and dioxins in the air… perfect," he grinned at her as she blinked at him, "Just what the Nestene Consciousness needs. Its food stock was destroyed in the war, all it's protein plants rotted," he explained, "So Earth… dinner!"

"Any way of stopping it from doing that?" Elissa asked.

He grinned again and pulled out a slender tube filled with blue liquid, showing it to her, "Anti-plastic!"

Elissa blinked at it and then up at him, brows quirked upwards, "Anti-plastic…"

"Anti-plastic!" the Doctor exclaimed, with a bit of an amused smirk before tucking the tube back into his inside jacket pocket, "But first I've got to find it. How can you hide something that big in a city this small?" he grumbled with a frown as he looked around again the deepening night again, hoping to spot something he hadn't before.

"Wait a sec…" Elissa muttered eyeing him as he started pacing back and forth in front of her, "It's hiding something?"

"Yes!" the Doctor exclaimed, "The transmitter. The Consciousness is controlling every single piece of plastic so it needs a transmitter to boost the signal."

"Oh," Elissa cast her gaze about searching the night herself before blinking and turning back to him a little sheepish, "What's it look like?"

"Like a transmitter," the Doctor huffed.

"I don't even know if I've seen one before!" Elissa retorted in return, her brow furrowed with a kernel of frustration, "Let alone what they look like!"

"Round and massive," the Doctor expounded in response, glancing at her as he paced past her once again, "Slap bang in the middle of London. A huge circular metal structure… like a dish…" he came to a stop in front of her, his back to the harbour, "Like a wheel," he gestured with his arms, "Close to where we're standing."

Elissa who'd gone back to glancing about the night at his description of what the transmitter looked like, paused in her search as her gaze landed on a massive wheel, "How huge?" she asked, eyeing the wheel that was light up with blue lights.

"Massive," the Doctor declared and Elissa gaze focused on him, "450 feet at least…" her gaze went back to the towering wheel across the body of water eyeing it up and down, "Must be completely invisible," he muttered with frustration.

"Um…" Elissa tugged at her lower lip.

The Doctor frowned, eyeing her considering expression as she stared at a spot over his shoulder and he turned glancing about swiftly and then turning back to see her still staring, "What?"

"What about that?" she pointed across the water.

The Doctor turned again casting his eyes about the opposite side of the Thames, frowning deeper with irritation as he turned back, "What?"

"Oh," Elissa lowered her hand as she focused her gaze on him again, "Can it not look like a huge glow-y wheel thing, then?"

The Doctor blinked, eyes widening with realisation as he whirled around again, his gaze focusing on the London Eye that he'd been looking past and around but not really at, "Oh…" he breathed and Elissa returned his beaming grin as he whirled back around to face her again, his earlier frustration forgotten, "Fantastic!" he exclaimed before he darted off at a run, grasping Elissa's hand as he passed her. Her hand grasping his in return as she ran with him. The two running across the bridge to the South Bank, not stopping until they reached the foot of the massive wheel.

"Think of it," the Doctor was saying as the pair slowed to a walk, their clasped hands dropping, "Plastic, all over the world," he continued as Elissa paused her staring up at the massive wheel above them, "Every artificial thing waiting to come to alive. The shop window dummies, the phones, the wires, the cables…" he trailed as he glanced back over his shoulder to see Elissa staring up at the structure above them and he strolled back over to her.

"It's pretty," she murmured.

"It is a bit," the Doctor agreed, peering up at it himself for a moment before glancing at her again taking in her expression, the open wonder on her face at something she'd probably seen before but couldn't remember… "It's called the London Eye."

Elissa gave a nod and tore her gaze from it to look at him, "And the living plastic creature's turned it into a transmitter?"

"Yeah," the Doctor nodded and then frowned as he glanced about the area again, "The Consciousness must be somewhere underneath," he muttered as he shifted away again, searching for a possible entrance.

Elissa glanced after him a moment, before starting to wander the area herself, moving towards a parapet. She peered over it, eyes scanning before her gaze caught on something and she frowned at it with consideration briefly, "Doctor!" she called and glanced over her shoulder as he paused in his search and started over to her, "What about that?" she asked and pointed down at what she'd spotted.

The Doctor peered over the low wall and grinned as he clamped eyes on the large manhole at the bottom of some steps, "Looks good to me," he agreed and the two took off at a run again, descending down the set of steps and over to the manhole.

The Doctor bent down and grasped the wheel on top it turning it until the lid came free as Elissa stood behind him peering over his shoulder as smoke tinted an ominous red by a light billowed out at them.

The Doctor started down the ladder, swiftly disappearing from view. Elissa tucked some of her hair behind her ear as she stepped towards it, grasping hold of the ladder herself as she started down it doing her best to peer down at where she was going.

She stepped off the last rung and glanced about the gloomy red tinted space, her gaze landing on the Doctor as he stood in front of another door, working to get it open. She started towards him as he glanced over his shoulder at her.

He turned back to the door and got it open in the next moment, he stepped through it. Elissa following him. The two stepped into another chamber, before starting down another set of steps that led them into a larger multi-level chamber.

"The Nestene Consciousness," the Doctor murmured and pointed to a large vat in the centre of the chamber, a wobbly orange mass inside it, "That's it, inside the vat. A living, plastic creature."

Elissa swallowed a bit anxiously as she stared at the large mass inside the vat, before she turned her gaze to the Doctor again, "So, what now? The anti-plastic?"

The Doctor shook his head, "Not yet," he muttered, "I'm not here to kill it. I've got to give it a chance," he told her before starting forward, Elissa trailing a little behind him as he headed down a catwalk that overlooked the seething vat, "I seek audience with the Nestene Consciousness under peaceful contract. According to convention 15 of the Shadow Proclamation," the Doctor announced, leaning over the railings, and the Consciousness wobbled about, flexing, as it made a reply, "Thank you," he nodded, "If I might have permission to approach?"

Elissa's gaze caught on a huddled form on a lower level and her eyes widened with surprise at the sight of him, "Mickey!" she exclaimed and hurried towards him, the Doctor rolling his eyes, "You're ok!"

Mickey shook his head, wide terrified eyes going back to the seething creature in the vat, "That thing down there, the liquid," he turned his gaze back to her, "Lissa, it can talk!"

Elissa crinkled her nose a bit at the stench clinging to Mickey, but made no mention of it, instead turning her gaze back to the Doctor, "Doctor, he's alive!"

"Yeah," the Doctor nodded a bit absently, "That was always a possibility. Keep him alive to maintain the copy."

"You could have said something earlier," Elissa huffed, frowning at him… he'd let Rose think her boyfriend was dead… let her think it too.

"Can we keep the domestics outside?" the Doctor huffed and Elissa turned back to Mickey shifting to help him up to his feet, "Thank you," he muttered as he turned his attention back to the Consciousness as he continued downward towards the vat.

"You alright?" Elissa murmured.

"Dunno…" Mickey swallowed uncertain of the answer, his legs feeling unsteady under him, "Think so…"

"Am I addressing the Consciousness?" he spoke to the mass in the vat, "Thank you," he nodded as it globbered flexing in response, "If I might observe, you infiltrated this civilization by means of warped, shunt technology. So, may I suggest, with the greatest respect, that you shunt off?" the living plastic globbered again and the Doctor frowned, "Oh, don't give me that, it's an invasion! Plain and simple!" the Consciousness flexed and globbered again. A face forming in the mass, "Don't talk about constitutional rights!" the Doctor demanded shortly and the plastic roared angrily rearing up to form a head, "I… AM…TALKING!" he roared back, "This planet is just starting. These stupid little people have only just learnt how to walk, but they're capable of so much more. I'm asking you on their behalf - please, just go."

"Doctor!" Elissa shouted in warning as two Autons dummies approached the Doctor from behind. The man glanced back at the warning just in time to get grabbed.

"That was just insurance!" the Doctor tried to assure as one of the dummies pulled out the tube of anti-plastic from his inside jacket pocket, "I wasn't going to _use_ it," he continued struggling to get free of the Auton's grip, whilst the Consciousness globbered angrily at him again, "I was not attacking you. I'm here to help," he insisted, "I'm not your enemy. I swear, I'm not..." he paused as it globbered again, "What do you mean?" he asked confused.

Doors above him blew open and the three in the chamber with the Consciousness turned their heads looking up to see the Tardis in the doorway.

"Oh, oh no, honestly, no!" the Doctor exclaimed with alarm and desperation, "Yes, that's my ship," he attempted to explain to the Consciousness only for it to roar enraged, "That's not true," he denied, "I should know, I was there. I fought in the war. It wasn't my fault! I couldn't save your world! I couldn't save any of them!"

"What's happening?!" Elissa shouted with alarm as the place began to shake.

"It's the Tardis!" the Doctor shouted back, "The Nestene has identified its superior technology. It's terrified! It's going to the final phase. It's starting the invasion! Get out, Elissa! Just leg it! Now!" he shouted desperately as he struggled against the grip the dummies had on him. He didn't want to lose anyone else he couldn't.

Elissa stared at him with alarm, her heart pounding, 'Run' where exactly did he expect her to run too? It wasn't like she really knew her way… she could get out of here. Get back across the bridge but then were? Plastic from what he'd been saying was everywhere… even if she could get home… there was plastic in her home… she had cables… wires. She heard her phone suddenly start to ring from her shoulder bag and she stiffened staring at it wide eyed… he'd said phones… she swallowed heavily and tentatively reached in… prepared to toss it from her if it tried anything like the plastic arm had earlier… only to see 'Rose Calling…' lighting up the screen again. She jabbed the green 'accept' button and brought it to her ear.

"Rose!" she shouted at the same minute the blond exclaimed.

"Lissa!"

"Where are you?!" they spoke together.

The blond blinked on the other end, a little surprised, "That's new…" she mused, "We've never done that before."

"Rose!" Elissa shouted over the noise in the chamber as the Consciousness continued to roar, ears straining to hear the blond, "Just listen! Please! Where are you?!"

"I'm outside… looking… you!" came the blonde's broken response as the line crackled heavily, "… box thing… gone! Whe… you?!"

"Rose! Just… go! Go inside!" Elissa tried, even as she couldn't help but wonder if that was really any safer… "Stay away from shops… the dummies, just stay…"

***O*O*O***

"I can't hear… Lis…" Rose shouted frowning heavily on the other end of the line, "You're breaking up… I…" she trailed as the dial tone sounded, "Lissa!" she shouted frustrated. She went to call again only for her phone to ring, 'Mum Calling…' lighting up her screen, "Mum!" she exclaimed as she turned and started away from the North embankment of the Thames, "Really not a good time! I'm trying to find Lissa…!"

Whilst behind her as she turned a corner out of sight, frustration stirring in her as she listened to her mum go on about compensation, the London Eye lit up with energy.

***O*O*O***

"Get out, Elissa!" the Doctor shouted at the brunette who still hadn't moved to do what he'd told her as the Consciousness globbered and flexed with growing agitation, "Just get out!" he urged desperately as a part of the ceiling fell in, "Run!"

"Can't!" Elissa shouted back.

"Just go!" the Doctor insisted as the Auton's started trying to push him into the seething vat.

"The stairs have gone!" Elissa shouted, before her gaze landed on the Tardis and she ran for it, the terrified Mickey following her. She tried the doors, "Oh, no, no…" she muttered with agitation, "I haven't got the key!"

"We're gonna die!" Mickey cried with desperation, alarmed and terrified as he crouched down by the locked blue box, cowering. Overwhelmed by everything that had happened to him and what was going on right now.

Elissa turned from the locked Tardis, pressing her back against the closed doors, darting her gaze about the chamber with growing desperation. She didn't want to die… not if she could help it, and she didn't want the world to end… not like this… not to become food…

Her gaze went back to the Doctor as he struggled with the dummies who had him, trying to grab to the anti-plastic.

"No!" the Doctor shouted and the Consciousness roared the sound indistinguishable to Elissa's ears as she watched.

She swallowed heavily and then pushed away from the Tardis door.

Mickey turned his head to look at her at the movement his already wide eyes widened further, "Just leave him!" Elissa glanced at him frowning, "There's nothing you can do!" he insisted.

"Maybe not… probably not…" Elissa clenched her jaw against the fear making her heart pound uncomfortably in her chest, before she turned and darted away, racing back down the chamber towards the vat, "I don't really know who I am. What type of person I really am…" she swallowed heavily as she continued on, "What I do know… what I'm absolutely certain of right now…" she narrowed her eyes on the dummy holding the tube of anti-plastic, "Is that I don't want to be the type of person who sits down and does nothing!" she came up to the dummy and didn't let herself hesitate, barely let herself come to a stop before she reached out and grabbed the tube the Doctor was reaching for.

The man staring at her with alarm, "No," he shouted as the dummy that had been holding the tube let him go and turned to Elissa.

"You want this?" she held it up, swallowing heavily once more, "Fetch it," she stated as she tossed it into the vat as the Doctor broke free of the other dummies grip and shoved it in as the other leapt after the tube anti-plastic in a bid to stop it. The tube hit the orange creature in the vat, the dummies landing after it… melting into it as the Nestene Consciousness screamed as its orange colouring started to turn blue.

"Elissa!" the Doctor stepped towards her, grabbing her and pulling her back a step from edge as the dying alien started to broil as it writhed and screamed, "Now, we're in trouble," he exclaimed as it started exploding. He grabbed her hand and the two ran back over to the Tardis were Mickey was still cowering, holding onto it for dear life, eyes wide and terrified. The Doctor swiftly fished out his key and got the door open. He ushered them all in before stepping inside himself closing the door on the dying plastic. The fires that had broken out after the explosion, spreading as the Tardis wheezed, dematerialising.

The moment the Tardis reappeared in an alleyway by a row of shuttered kiosks, Mickey dashed out the doors like the hounds of hell were after him, before he fell to the ground and stayed there staring with wide eyes at the big blue box that was overwhelmingly bigger on the inside, terrified and frazzled.

Elissa stepped out after him, her phone at her ear, she paused a step or two outside the doors with a frown, "Beeping…" she muttered pulling the phone away from her ear to stare at it as it continued to beep for a moment before going silent, "What does 'beeping' mean?"

"That particular beeping, engaged signal," the Doctor spoke from the doorway, Elissa's eyes turning to him, "Means your friend is already on the phone."

"Oh…" Elissa breathed and nodded, before tucking her phone back into her shoulder bag, "She's alright then at least," she murmured with relief. She turned her gaze back to the Doctor, "So, that's it then, right? No more plastic coming to life?"

"Yep," the Doctor nodded, leaning against the doorframe, "Nestene Consciousness?" he clicked his fingers, "Easy," he smirked.

Elissa blinked at him, brows quirking, "You call that easy?"

"Well… relatively speaking," he grinned at her, "Yeah!" Elissa shook her head a little disbelieving even as she returned his smile. The Doctor eyed her, "Thanks, by the way," he murmured and she blinked at him, "I'd be dead right now if you hadn't… well, thanks."

"Just returning the favour," Elissa smiled at him again, "And you're welcome!"

The Doctor nodded and straightened up from his lean, "Right then! I'll be off!" he clasped his hands together and paused staring at Elissa, "Unless, uh..." he started awkwardly, "I don't know... you could come with me," he continued as Elissa stared at him a hand coming to rest over her shoulder bag, gripping it. He turned his head to look at his box, patting it with a fond hand, "This box isn't just a London hopper, you know," he turned his gaze back to Elissa, "It goes anywhere in the universe free of charge."

"Don't!" Mickey exclaimed for the first time since coming out of the Tardis, his eyes wide as he realised what was going on before him, "Elissa, he's an alien!" he turned his alarmed gaze to the brunette who wasn't looking at him, "He's a thing!"

The Doctor shot him a glare, "He's _not_ invited," he huffed with annoyance before turning his gaze back to Elissa, blue eyes hopeful, "What do you think? You could stay here and fill your life with work and food, sleep, lists and post-it notes or you could go, uh... anywhere," he enticed with a hopeful smile.

Elissa swallowed, her heart beating heavily in her chest, not the fearful rhythm of earlier but with something else… something that had her wanting to shift from foot to foot, "Is, uh, is it always like that? That dangerous?"

"Yeah," the Doctor admitted and he watched as she tugged her lower lip, "But I'll tell you what else it always is."

Elissa swallowed again, her gaze darting from him to the Tardis and back again, "What…?" she questioned.

"Unpredictable," he replied and then grinned at her, "And certainly not boring!"

"If it's always like today. I don't suppose it could be…" Elissa murmured, tugging at her lower lip again, thinking... considering, before she sighed out a disappointed breath as she recalled the little black ball of fur named Salem who lived with her, "I can't…" she sighed, "I've got a cat back at the flat, so…"

"Right," the Doctor said slowly, "Ok," he nodded disappointed as he stared at Elissa, "See you around," he said in farewell, stepping back inside and slowly bringing the door closed… eyes on Elissa the who time, hoping that she'd change her mind…

Elissa swallowed as the door clicked closed the Doctor disappearing from sight and in the next moment there was a light gust of wind and the Tardis started wheezing as it faded in and out… disappearing from the alley to go elsewhere… she pressed her eyes closed for a brief moment and looked down.

Her heart heavy with disappointment.

She'd forget all about him by the time she woke up tomorrow… forget about everything that happened today and then she'd read about it and probably think she was going crazy. She sucked in a breath and slowly turned away. Her gaze landing on a wide eye Mickey as he still cowered by a pallet, his eyes locked on the place the Tardis had been. She went to take a step towards him, only to freeze, her breath catching in her throat as a sudden gust of wind blew and the wheezing came again and she turned with wide eyes as she saw it fading in and out until it appeared completely back in the alley. The door opened in the next instant and the Doctor was poking his head out the door with a grin, "By the way, did I mention it also travels in time?" he asked, before he disappeared back inside leaving the door ajar for her.

Elissa blinked at that and strode forward curiously, peering in at the Doctor curiously from the doorway, "What do you mean, travels in time?"

"I could tell you or…" the Doctor trailed and grinned as he met her gaze with his own, "I could show you?"

It was a grin that widened as Elissa stepped inside and started towards the console, the door clicking quietly shut behind her. The Doctor yanking down a lever, the wheezing starting again as he sent his ship back into the time vortex.


	2. Chapter 2 The End of the World

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Doctor Who. Just Elissa my o/c.

**A/N:** A big thank you to everyone who read, followed/favourited and reviewed the first chapter to this fic. And another big thank you to **Maethoriel Artemis** for pre-reading the chapter for me.

**CHAPTER 2**

**The End of the World**

Elissa came to a stop at the console, staring across it at the Doctor as he moved his hands over the controls, "What are you doing?"

The Doctor shot her a beaming grin, full of excitement, "I said I'd show you a time machine, didn't I?"

Elissa's eyes widened, her lips parting in a small gape as she looked about at the interior of the console room that looked no different to when she'd first stepped into it – in fact it didn't even seem to be shaking, "You don't mean we're travelling in time right now?"

"Not just yet," the Doctor denied, shooting her another grin, lifting his hands from the controls and resting them against the console, "First, gotta get the big questions out of the way!"

Elissa blinked, "Big questions?"

"Yep! First and most importantly," he said in all seriousness, "Where do you want to go? Forwards or backwards in time. It's your choice. What's it going to be?"

"Forwards?" Elissa questioned, a little uncertain.

The Doctor arched his brows at her in response, "Forwards?" he checked.

Elissa nodded firmly, "Yeah," she spoke with more confidence, smiling, warming to the idea, "Forwards!"

The Doctor nodded and lifted his hand from the rim of the the console, moving his hands over the controls again, pressing a few buttons, before looking back up at her, "Secondly and just as important as the first…" he paused for effect, grinning at how she leaned in towards him with wide eyes alight with excitement and curiosity, "How far?"

"How far?" Elissa repeated.

"Yep – how far forward in time, did you, Elissa Brady, want to go?" the Doctor questioned staring at her expectantly.

"How about…" she trailed, chewing her lower lip.

"Go on!" he encouraged, shifting a tad impatiently as he waited, wanting to show her time travel… and perhaps show off a bit. It'd been a long time since he'd had someone else travelling in the Tardis with him.

She shook her head at herself, "100 years?"

The Doctor eyed her, a little disappointed, getting the feeling that hadn't been what she was going to say. Still, he grinned and nodded, pulling a lever and turned a knob. The Tardis engines lurching as the ship took them forward in time. The engines fell silent after only a few seconds as the ship stopped at their destination.

"There you go, step outside those doors," the Doctor pointed at the closed doors of the Tardis, "It's the twenty-second century."

Elissa turned to glance at the doors than back at him, her eyes wide with surprise, "A hundred years in five seconds?"

"I told you!" the Doctor grinned, "Time machine!" Elissa smiled, "A hundred years is easy!" he made a small face, "Bit boring though, really," he muttered.

Elissa frowned slightly, her head tilting slightly, "A hundred years is boring?"

"Snooze worthy," the Time Lord stated.

Elissa blinked at him, mouthing the words to herself with some bemusement.

His face broke into another infectious grin as he asked, "Do you want to go further?"

"Well," Elissa began a little slowly, her eyes meeting his across the console, "I'd hate for you to be bored."

"That'd be awful," he agreed with an overly dramatic shudder and then grinned at her again, "How 'bout…" he tweaked a dial, twisting it round, "Ten thousand?" he suggested and waited for her to nod before he yanked down on a lever. The engines lurching to life once more as he sent them further. The engines stopped again and he looked up at her, "There we are! Ten thousand years in the future. Step outside, it's the year 12005, the new Roman Empire – still," he shot her another grin, "I think we can do better."

Elissa blinked and eyed him with something akin to bemusement and curiosity, "Are- Are you trying to be impressive?"

"I –," the Doctor gaped at her, "I don't have to try!" he frowned at her as he stated, "I am impressive!"

"Alright," Elissa nodded her acceptance, shrugging slightly as she easily agreed with him, "You're impressive."

The Doctor's frown deepened as he eyed the woman, not sure if she was actually agreeing or being sarcastic, "I am!"

Elissa blinked, brows quirking a bit in confusion, hadn't she just agreed that he was? She nodded again, "Ok."

"Right then," the Doctor huffed certain she was being sarcastic with him now, "You asked for it!" he pointed a finger at her, before he moved his hands over the controls again.

Elissa blinked again, brows raised a little in alarm and growing confusion as she stared at him, "Asked for what?"

"I'll show you impressive," he grumbled, "I know exactly where to go!" he declared, furiously pumping at a lever as he grinned manically and Elissa shifted a little nervously as the engines revved loudly, "Hold on!"

Elissa grabbed at the console just as the Tardis lurched again, her eyes a bit wide as the ship shook harder than when she'd just been hopping around London. The Tardis hurtling through the vortex at great speed. The Tardis came to a sudden stop. A cheery 'ping' announcing their arrival at their destination.

Elissa released the console and turned to look at the closed Tardis doors. Her heart beating quicker against her ribcage in excitement, the sensation unfamiliar to her but not unpleasant. She turned back to the Doctor, her eyes wide with her curiosity and excitement as she met his gaze, "How far did you take us?"

The Doctor grinned at her in response and gestured encouragingly towards the Tardis doors.

Elissa bit her lower lip and looked towards the closed door again, before she turned back to look at him, hesitating in venturing out into the unknown, "Where are we?" she asked and got another wide beaming grin from the Time Lord as he energetically gestured at the doors again, "What's out there?"

The Doctor gestured wordlessly at the doors again, grinning smugly as Elissa shot him an excited grin before she turned towards the doors again. He watched with growing anticipation as she started for them. He grinned with amusement as she slowly opened a door and cautiously poked her head out of it, glancing about briefly, before stepping out the door. He shook his head as he rounded the console and started after her.

Elissa glanced around the kind of wooden room she'd stepped out into, walking slowly, her brow slightly furrowed, "Am I s'posed to know where we are now?" she murmured questioningly as the Doctor stepped out the open door of the Tardis, closing it behind him, "Cos," she continued as she started down a small flight of stairs, "I've still got no clue."

"Give us a tick," the Doctor replied and Elissa turned her head to look over her shoulder at him, to see him pull his sonic screwdriver from one of his jacket pockets as he stepped over to a wall, stopping in front of a small panel.

She blinked curiously and started back up the stairs, moving towards him as he fiddled with the sonic, "What are you doing?"

The Doctor shot her a quick grin, "You'll see," he said as he turned his gaze back to the control panel and aimed his sonic at it. The slender device buzzing and the blue tip flashing as he flicked the switch.

Elissa turned away from him, her attention drawn to the front of the room as a large shutter started to descend revealing the window behind it. She started back down the stairs, hardly aware that she was moving as she headed for the window, her lips slightly parted, her intrigued gaze locked on the view.

The Doctor fell into step with her, joining her in staring out at the planet that was in orbit below them.

Elissa swallowed, "What…" she began, swallowing, not tearing her gaze from the window, "What am I seeing?"

The Doctor glanced at her, momentarily surprised before realising that she wouldn't know – wouldn't remember if she'd ever seen a picture or watched a documentary on the telly of her home planet, "That Elissa, is the planet Earth."

Her gaze shot to him, her eyes widening in surprise and then awe as she looked back out the window her gaze locked on the planet, "That's the Earth," she breathed, she reached out a hand gently touching her fingers to the window, awed beyond belief. She swallowed, "I'm seeing the Earth… it's beautiful."

The Doctor grinned, "Impressed yet?"

Elissa nodded, eyes not lifting from the view of her home planet, "You had me impressed the moment I walked into that blue box and saw that it was bigger on the inside," she tore her gaze from the planet, "That was why I was wondering why it seemed like you were trying to be impressive earlier. It didn't seem like you could get more impressive than time machine – but…" she turned her gaze back down to the planet, "That just goes to show what I know…" she trailed off and let her fingers slide off the thick glass, silently wishing that somehow she wouldn't ever forget seeing this whilst simultaneously trying not to think about it – just wanting to enjoy the fact that she was staring down at the Earth.

The Doctor stared at her for a moment, taking in her awed expression before he looked out the window, gazing at the Earth again, "You lot," he broke the silence between them, Elissa's gaze flicking to him briefly as she listened, "You spend all your time thinking about dying. Like you're going to get killed by eggs or beef or global warming or asteroids," Elissa blinked at that before her brow furrowed quizzically as she looked away from the planet again to stare at him quizzically, 'they did?'

"But you never take time to imagine the impossible," the Doctor continued his lips quirking slightly in amusement at the puzzled look Elissa was giving him, "Maybe you survive. This is the year 5.5/apple/26," he finally started answering her earlier questions, "Five billion years in your future. This is the day… hold on…" he lifted his arm, checking his watch briefly, just to be sure that he hadn't gotten it a bit wrong, "This is the day the sun expands."

Elissa blinked again, thrown, and then frowned at him questioningly, not having a clue what that meant, "The sun… expands?"

"Yep!" the Doctor exclaimed, "Elissa Brady, welcome to the end of the world."

Elissa blinked rapidly, "What?!" she frowned, her gaze going to the planet below them and then back to the Doctor, "Isn't that a bad thing?"

"Not in this instance," the Time Lord replied as he turned from the observation window and started over to a door.

Elissa blinked, eyeing his back as she followed after him, "It sure sounds like a bad thing to me…" she mumbled.

The Doctor glanced over his shoulder at her as he buzzed his sonic at the doors control panel, "Never judge a thing by how it sounds," he advised.

Elissa nodded as she followed him through the door. That sounded like sound advice to her, though – hadn't he just said not to judge something by how it sounds… she screwed up her nose, before shaking the thought. She'd give herself a headache thinking like that. She frowned, puzzled, what was a headache?

She chewed on her lower lip, did that happen often? Did she think or say a word, but not know what it was linked to? She pulled on her lower lip, releasing it from between her teeth as she did so, her puzzled frown deepening as more questions formed as she mulled over that. Questions she didn't have an answer for. Her fingers twitched coming to rest on the cloth of her over the shoulder bag, an itch to peek at her journal forming – to see if she could find anything inside it that'd give her an answer – she couldn't recall seeing anything from her look through it during her morning at the flat she'd woken up in. But then, she hadn't been looking for it either. Before she could reach inside her bag and pull out her journal an announcement came over the speakers, distracting her from her thoughts.

"Shuttles 5 and 6 now docking," the computerised voice announced, "Guests are reminded that Platform One forbids the use of weapons, teleportation and religion. Earth Death is scheduled for 15:39, followed by drinks in the Manchester Suite."

"Guests?" Elissa murmured and glanced at the Time Lord as the two continued along the corridor they'd entered, "There's gonna be guests?"

"Well, yeah!" the Doctor replied, glancing at her.

"Does that mean I'll be meeting more aliens?" she questioned, brows arching curiously.

"Yep!" he nodded, shooting her a grin.

Elissa eyed him curiously, "Will they look like you or…"

"Dunno," the Doctor shrugged, "It depends what kind have been invited."

Elissa blinked, brow furrowing slightly in thought, "What… kind?"

"Yeah, I imagine quite the crowds been invited," he mused before expounding as he took in her questioning expression, "Probably got people coming from all over."

Elissa nodded, before adding curiously, "And they'll all be aliens?"

The Doctor shot her an amused grin, "Yeah."

"Ok," she nodded, before glancing at him curiously once more, "But, what are they all coming here for?"

"This ship we're on," he gestured around at the corridor they where travelling down, "It's… well, it's more an observation deck than anything else," he told her as he came to a stop in front of a door and pointed his sonic at the control panel, "The great and the good are gathering to watch the planet burn."

Elissa frowned at the Time Lord's back, entirely confused, "What on earth for?"

The Doctor glanced over his shoulder at her, "Fun," he stated simply as he pulled the door open and walked through it, entering a large observation gallery.

"Doesn't sound fun to me," Elissa muttered dubiously as she followed him inside, her gaze going about the new room curiously.

"Mind you," the Doctor mused, "When I said the great and the good, what I mean, is the rich," he elaborated.

"And, the rich wanna see the planet burn?" Elissa questioned.

"Yep – expect they'll make a grand old party of it," the Doctor answered, glancing at her at her again, taking in her dubious expression.

Elissa shook her head, "Still doesn't sound fun to me," she muttered, before she shook her head, what did she know? Maybe it was the height of all things fun to watch a planet burn. She glanced out the window, her gaze going to the planet, "When you say 'burn' is that the sun expanding thing?"

"That's right," he nodded, his eyes on her as she stared down at the planet.

Elissa gave a nod, brow furrowed as she let her gaze rove over the side of the planet they where facing, "I don't know what that means," she murmured after a moment, her fingers reaching out to touch the thick glass of the window.

The Doctor shifted beside her, "Basically, the sun is growing, expanding as it burns hydrogen at its core turning it into helium," Elissa looked at him, "Those are gasses," he tacked on at her questioning look, tugging at his ear briefly as he forcefully swallowed down the urge to go into greater detail, "Eventually," he carried on, "It'll get too big, grow too hot for the Earth to survive. Hence, the planet will burn."

"Oh…" Elissa murmured lowly, turning his brief explanation over in her mind, absorbing it as best she could.

"This all takes millions of years," the Doctor added as he tore his gaze from Elissa to look at the planet, "But the planet is now property of the National Trust," and Elissa found her gaze going to him again, confused all over again, "They've been keeping it preserved," he explained and as Elissa continued to stare at him with a still mildly quizzical expression. He turned his gaze out the window again peering through it intently, "See down there," he pointed, "Those tiny little lights?" he prompted as Elissa looked out the window in the direction he was pointing.

"Yeah," She nodded after a short moment, "I see them."

"They're gravity satellites," he explained, glancing at her again as he expounded, "They're holding back the sun."

"And, that's gravity doing that?"

"Gravity is what's keeping you from floating up to the ceiling," the Doctor replied, shooting her a grin, "So, yes."

"Oh!" Elissa looked down at her feet, nodding to herself as she mumbled, she hadn't even been wondering why her feet stayed on the ground. It was just something that they did, "Right."

The Doctor couldn't help the small amused snigger that escaped him as he observed her reaction.

Elissa looked up at the sound, "Glad to be amusing," she muttered dryly before looking away her arms crossing as she stared out the window at the planet again. Her lower lip jutting out in a pout. It was hardly her fault she didn't know things that everyone else did. It wasn't like she forgot on purpose. It wasn't a choice! If she could remember she would.

The Doctor coughed lowly, and did his best to arrange his features into a contrite expression, "The uh, the continents – those are the landmasses – shifted you know."

"…" Elissa glanced at him, eyeing him up for a moment, wondering if he was poking fun at her, "No, how would I?"

The Doctor winced a little as he eyed her out of the corner of his eye. Had he made her sulky? He hadn't meant to put her in a mood, he'd just found it… endearing. Her wonder at the little things he took for granted. He tugged at his ear as he shifted his gaze back to the planet, "Well, they do. They shifted about the face of the Earth. It should look a fair bit different, but you see the Trust shifted them back. So, that's a classic Earth you're looking at," he glanced at her, "The one you've spent your entire life living on."

Elissa glanced at him again, her pout disappearing as curiosity took hold again, "Why'd they do that?"

"Nostalgia," the Doctor shrugged, grinning at the seeming lightening of her mood once more, "And they had money to burn. But the money's run out now, so nature takes over!"

"So…" Elissa murmured after a beat of silence, her gaze on the planet, "How much longer until…?" she trailed and looked at him.

The Doctor glanced at his watch again, "About half an hour," he replied, grinning, "And then the planet gets roasted."

Elissa shot him a look, pulling an unimpressed face at his description of what was going to happen within half an hour. She turned away from him, gaze going back out the window and to the planet she called home, "It's sad," she murmured after a moment, "It's so beautiful – it doesn't look like it's about to burn."

The Doctor sighed lowly, his expression turning a bit sombre as he stared at the young woman, a hint of regret hitting him that he'd thought to take her here, "Everything has it's time, Elissa," he murmured his tone softer, "The Earth's time is up. That's the nature of well, nature."

Elissa was silent another moment, before she tore her gaze from the planet she called home again to look at him, "What about those living on the planet?"

"There isn't any," the Doctor replied with a shake of his head, "They're all gone. No one's left down there."

"Will," Elissa swallowed, "Will any of the guests be human, do you think?"

The Doctor shook his head, "Dunno," he shrugged, "Could be or it might just be you. One human to see the planet off."

"Sounds lonely," Elissa murmured as she turned back to the planet.

"It is," the Doctor quietly acknowledged, his voice barely above a whisper, his eyes haunted for a moment as memories of his own planets last moments rose to the surface.

Elissa glanced at him, her ears twitching slightly as they caught the soft whisper, catching the haunted look in his eyes briefly before the Time Lord blinked leaving her wondering if she'd imagined it. The haunted look disappearing like it hadn't been there at all as he beamed a wide grin at her.

"Who the hell are you?" the sudden voice made Elissa just about jump out of her skin as she and the Doctor spun around to face the direction it came from. The brunette's eyes widening in surprise at the sight of a man that had bright blue skin that was striding towards them rather purposefully.

"Oh! That's nice, thanks," the Doctor grumbled at the less than pleasant greeting.

"But how did you get in?" the Steward demanded as he came to a stop before them, "This is a maximum hospitality zone. The guests have disembarked!" he exclaimed somewhat panicked at their presence, "They're on their way any second now!" he ranted, already feeling the phantom pain of the headache, this disturbance would cause.

"That's me, I'm a guest, look!" the Doctor assured as he reached inside one of his jacket pockets ignoring the surprised look Elissa was giving him in response, "I've got an invitation," he stated as he pulled out a small black leather wallet, flipping it open and flashing it at the Steward, "Look, there you see? It's fine, see?" he continued as the Steward peered at it, "The Doctor plus one. I'm the Doctor, this is," he pointed to his companion, "Elissa Brady. She's my plus one. Is that alright?" he asked as the Steward continued to stare at the 'invitation'.

"Well…" the Steward slowly looked up from the wallet, a bit nonplussed, he'd thought he had a couple more moments at least before their arrival, "Obviously," he stated still a little thrown before pulling himself together, whilst the Doctor grinned, "Apologies, et cetera. If you're on board, we'd better start. Enjoy," he bid them and upon receiving a nod from the Doctor turned and walked back over to his station.

"The paper's slightly psychic," the Doctor explained as he showed Elissa the paper inside the little black wallet, "It shows them whatever I want them to see. Saves a lot of time."

"But…" Elissa frowned as she eyed it, "It's blank."

The Doctor blinked in surprise and peered down at the paper himself before looking back at Elissa, eyeing her consideringly.

Elissa blinked at his look, "What?"

"Nothing," the Doctor denied tugging at his ear, "It's just not very often that I come across someone who can't be fooled by the paper. Unless you're a genius," he eyed her again a bit speculatively, "Are you a genius."

Elissa pulled her gaze that had travelled with wonder to the blue skinned man to look at the Doctor, brows quirked at him, "I dunno – don't think so…"

"Right…" the Doctor muttered, eyeing her again as he flipped the wallet closed and slipped it back into the pocket he'd pulled it out of as he continued, "What is it?" he questioned as she stared straight ahead of them.

"Nothing," Elissa mumbled, then glanced at the blue man and then back at the Doctor, "Just… he's blue," she whispered with wonder.

The Doctor grinned amused, "Yeah."

Elissa nodded, smiling, "Ok."

"We have in attendance the Doctor and Elissa Brady. Thank you!" the steward announced unaware or perhaps choosing to ignore the attention he'd unwittingly drawn, "All staff to their positions," he ordered with a clap of his hands and a lot of small blue aliens dressed in black scurried about to start attending to their duties.

Elissa's gaze darting after them. They were all blue! She smiled teeth sinking into her lower lip, blue and really small!

"Hurry now! Thank you, as quick as you can! Come along, come along!" the Steward continued urging them along a bit impatiently, before straightening slightly as he spoke into his microphone again, "And now, might I introduce the next honoured guest, representing the forest of Cheem, we have Trees. Namely, Jabe, Lute and Coffa," he introduced as the doors opened and the three aforementioned Trees stepped out into the Manchester Suite of the observation deck, all dignified elegance.

Elissa stared helplessly, her eyes rivetted and lips slightly parted in an awed gape as she watched the three elegant trees. Beside her the Doctor glanced at her and grinned, before sniggering lightly at her reaction.

Hearing him, Elissa glanced at him her eyes wide with her continued wonderment, "They're trees!" she breathed.

The Doctor's amused grinned widened as he nodded his agreement.

"There will be an exchange of gifts representing peace. If you can keep the room circulating, thank you," the Steward continued with his introductions, "Next, from the solicitors Jolco and Jolco, the Moxx of Balhoon."

Elissa tore her gaze from the blue alien that was mostly head and body as he glided into the room on top of a machine, to look at the Doctor curiously, "Are a lot of aliens blue?"

"Some," the Doctor murmured, grinning with amusement as her gaze travelled back to the alien atop his transport pod, "Though not that many."

"And next, from Financial Family Seven," the Steward announced and Elissa gaze was drawn back towards the doors, "We have the Adherents of the Repeated Meme," and a group of bipeds dressed in black robes, hoods obscuring their faces and a gold chain draped over their shoulders walked into a room.

"The inventors of Hypo-slip Travel Systems, the brothers Hop Plyeen. Thank you!" and Elissa's eyes widened with surprise as a couple of fur clad reptilians entered, "Cal 'Spark Plug'," the Steward announced and two more walked in these clad in long robes and domed hoods over their heads, "Mr and Mrs Pakoo," and two more aliens entered the Suite these ones dressed in black and with heads like birds, "The Ambassadors from the City State of Binding Light," the Steward carried on with his introductions as Elissa's wide eyed gaze followed the bird-headed aliens, her lips parted in a wider astounded gape now.

Beside her the Doctor chuckled quietly again, enjoying her reactions to each new alien as they entered, "Told you," he murmured softly drawing Elissa's gaze to him again, "Aliens from all over the universe."

Elissa nodded mutely, her gaze going back to the guests, going from one to another now, they were all so different! She'd had no idea! Not even when the Doctor had said that they'd be from all over she hadn't thought of anything like this!

The Doctor sniggered quietly under his breath again, endlessly amused. His companion's first trip was always his favourite. His sniggering broke off as both his and Elissa's attention were drawn to the three trees as they approached.

"The Gift of Peace," Jabe murmured as they came to a stop before them, taking a cutting from one of the trays, "I bring you a cutting of my Grandfather."

"Thank you!" the Doctor replied as he accepted the gift, immediately handing it off to Elissa, who tore her gaze from the trees to look at the small cutting, "Yes, gifts… erm…" the Time Lord floundered a bit, clearing his throat as he started to feel about his jacket pockets for something that he could give in return, only to come up empty, "I give you in return," he began thinking rapidly, Elissa's gaze going to him curiously wondering what he was going to give, "Air from my lungs," he came up with, before he took a breath and blew it gently onto Jabe's face.

The beautiful Tree closed her eyes in response to the soft gust of air. She opened her eyes, "How…" she smiled softly, "Intimate."

"There's more where that came from," the Doctor responded flirtatiously.

"I bet there is…" Jabe flirted back, before she turned and moved along to present her gift to the next guest.

Elissa blinked at the Doctor, "Air from your lungs?" she muttered quizzically drawing his gaze, "That's a gift?"

"Depends on your company," he replied with a grin, "Among your lot back in the 21st century – no. Among this lot – yep!"

"…Oh," Elissa murmured.

"Besides, I didn't actually think to bring anything with me for gift giving," the Doctor muttered, "It was either air from my lungs or nothing," he shrugged and tugged gently on his ear as he commented, "That's the only problem with spur of the moment trips."

Elissa frowned, "Spur of the moment?"

"Without advance preparation," the Doctor explained.

Elissa blinked and looked away from him, brow slightly furrowed, a small part of her thinking that she might have actually known that now that he'd explained. Did that happen often too? She couldn't help but wonder but the feeling was fleeting and she was distracted from pondering on it further as the Steward's next announcement drew her attention.

"From the Silver Devastation," the Steward announced, Elissa's eyes went to the doors again with curiosity, "The sponsor of the main event, please welcome the Face of Boe," the doors opened again and a huge head in an equally large glass case that only just fit through the double doors wheeled itself into the Suite.

Elissa blinked once, twice, three times, stunned by what she was seeing, her gaze following the large face that had entered the Manchester Suite. Beside her, the Doctor sniggered with amusement once more as he glanced at his companion.

"The Moxx of Balhoon," the Doctor greeted, and Elissa tore her gaze away from the large head her attention drawn to the fact that the blue alien on the transportation device had approached them whilst she'd been distracted.

"My felicitations on this historical happenstance. I give you the gift of bodily saliva," he replied before he spit with accuracy at Elissa, making the brunette jerk in surprise as it hit her eye.

The Doctor laughed, whilst Elissa stood stock still unsure how to react, disgust filling her at the feeling of the spit on her face, "Thank you very much," he responded still chuckling as the Moxx of Balhoon glided away, whilst Elissa grimaced. Her eyes closed as she reached blindly into her over the shoulder bag feeling around until she grabbed hold of a tissue, she'd recalled spotting in their earlier that day back in the 21st century and used it to wipe at her face.

"Eck!" she grimaced as she wiped on last time at her face and lowered the tissue, still feeling the sensation of the spit lingering on her skin. She shot the Doctor an unimpressed look as she heard his low amused sniggering and got an unrepentant grin from the Time Lord.

"Ah!" the Doctor exclaimed he turned his gaze from his companion as the blacked robed group approached them, "The Adherents of the Repeated Meme. I bring you air from my lungs," he breathed heavily over the group.

"A gift of peace in good faith," one of the Adherents spoke, his voice grave as he lifted an arm, a metallic hand holding out a large silver egg.

The Doctor took the proffered egg and tossed it into the air, catching it, before he passed it over to Elissa who blinked down at it with curiosity, before her gaze was drawn back to the Steward as his voice came over the microphone again.

"And last, but not least, our very special guest. Ladies and Gentlemen, and Trees and Multi-forms. Consider the Earth below. In memory of this dying world, we call forth The Last Human," the Steward announced.

The doors swung open and the Doctor couldn't help but glance at Elissa again to take in her reaction and was happy to not be disappointed in the slightest as the small brunette stared with bewilderment at the skin that was stretched over the bars of a metal frame that had come rolling in through the doors.

"The Lady Cassandra O'Brien Dot Delta Seventeen," the Steward introduced her.

Elissa tore her gaze from the stretched-out skin to glance at the Doctor baffled, "I thought he said human?" she whispered.

"He did – and she is," the Doctor replied, sniggering lowly once more as Elissa shook her head in incomprehension as her gaze returned to the creature that had entered the Manchester Suite with two people on either side of her dressed in white from head to toe.

"Oh, now, don't stare. I know, I know it's shocking, isn't it? I've had my chin completely taken away and look at the difference! Look how thin I am," Cassandra twittered, enjoying the spotlight.

The Doctor laughed silently, but heartily. He looked at Elissa again, feeling her gaze on him again, "Surgery," he murmured to her inquisitive look, before he turned his gaze back to Cassandra, "And lots of it from the look of her."

"You mean -," Elissa began a little hesitantly, glancing from the Doctor to Cassandra and back again with confusion, "She wanted to look like that?"

"Thin and dainty! I don't look a day over two thousand," Cassandra continued inadvertently answering Elissa's question, "Moisturize me, moisturize me," she demanded of her attendants and received a light misting spray to her face, "Truly, I am The Last Human."

Elissa blanched, her stomach twisting sickeningly as she stared at the stretched-out piece of skin latched to the frame. That truly looked nothing like the human she claimed to be – nothing but a bit of skin…

"My father was a Texan. My mother was from the Artic Desert. They were born on the Earth and were the last to be buried in its soil. I have come to honour them and…" Cassandra sniffed, "Say goodbye. Oh, no tears," and one of her attendants wiped her eyes for her. Elissa placed a hand over her stomach trying to will away the sickening feeling that only seemed to grow at the fact that the woman needed assistance to wipe away her tears, "No tears. I'm sorry. But behold!" she exclaimed as if she hadn't been crying just a moment ago, "I bring gifts. From Earth itself, the last remaining ostrich egg. Legend says," she continued as one of the small blue members of the staff came in carrying the egg, displaying it to the room, "It had a wingspan of 50 feet and blew fire from its nostrils. Or was that my third husband?" Cassandra joked as Elissa's eyes widened with alarm at the description she'd given, "Oh, don't laugh," Cassandra pleaded merrily, "I'll get laughter lines!" she chuckled at herself.

Elissa turned to the Doctor as Cassandra mumbled to herself, "There's an animal like that?!" she asked.

The Doctor's silent hearty laughter, got harder and he grinned with helpless amusement, "If there is it doesn't call Earth home," he sniggered helplessly, before clearing his throat and attempting to keep a straight face as Elissa stared at him with a furrowed brow, "And it's certainly not called an ostrich."

"And here, another rarity," Cassandra informed them as an attendant rolled in her second gift, "According to the archives, this was called an ipod."

"A what?" Elissa asked with a frown.

"It's not an ipod, so don't worry about it," the Doctor replied.

Elissa glanced at the strange box again, "What is it then?"

"A jukebox."

Elissa blinked but nodded, she had no idea what that was either, but didn't bother trying to ask as the Doctor snickered again lowly.

"It stores classical music from humanity's greatest composers," Cassandra continued.

"Oh," the Doctor grinned drawing Elissa's gaze to him again, her brows quirked in question, "She got that right – mostly."

"Play on!" Cassandra cried and one of the attendants pressed a button, selecting a track at random and a record fell into place before the strains of Tainted Love by Soft Cell started playing through the suite.

Elissa blinked as the Doctor started bopping appreciatively to the beat, before her gaze swept over the Suite again. Landing on the stretched-out piece of skin calling itself the Last Human. She swallowed thickly. The sickening feeling in her stomach increasing as she watched the lips move and the eyes blink, creasing slightly in the corners of the otherwise featureless entirely flat surface. The attendants on either side of her, moisturising cannisters in hand to use the moment they were bid too.

"Refreshments will now be served," the Steward announced over the music, "Earth Death in 30 minutes."

Elissa pursed her lips, the sickening feeling rising uncomfortably, clawing at her as her heart beat uncomfortably against her ribcage. She glanced about the room again, the Doctor still bopping appreciatively, the other guests mingling like it was completely normal for a human to be just a bit of skin and nothing more. She sucked in a shaky breath, before she pivoted on her heel and ran for the doors – needing to get away.

The Doctor stopped bopping to the music as he caught Elissa's movement out of the corner of his eye. He turned to see her running for the door and swiftly moved to follow after her as she swiftly disappeared through them.

"Doctor?" Jabe called as she approached him a device clasped between her hands, making him pause as he turned to look at her in silent question. Jabe raised the device in her hands, a flash going off as it snapped a picture, "Thank you," she murmured and stared after the Doctor a moment as he hurried on, running through the doors after the brunette he'd been standing with. She turned away from the doors, her eyes going to the rectangular device in her hands. Whilst a short distance away the Adherents of the Repeated Meme approached the Steward as he looked through the events itinerary.

"A gift of peace in all good faith," one of them spoke, extending a metallic hand towards the Steward as he turned to see the round silver egg being offered to him.

"No," the Steward shook his head, "You're very kind," he assured trying to politely decline, "But I'm just the Steward."

"A gift of peace in all good faith," the Ardent repeated, not lowering its arm.

"Oh, yes," the Steward murmured a bit perplexed but unwilling to upset a guest, "Thank you," he took the egg, "Of course."

Jabe came to a stop as her small computer device twittered at her, "Identify species," she tried again, "Please identify species," she insisted only for it to twitter at her again and she frowned, "Now stop it," she told it, "Identify his race. Where's he from?" she stared waiting as her computer reluctantly brought up the information and her eyes widened in stunned disbelief, "It's impossible," she breathed, before she looked up clutching her small computer device and started walking again. Her steps hurried as one of the silver metal eggs that had been placed on a display shelf for safe keeping twitched slightly, before a previously invisible seam spilt open and a silver metal robotic spider with a red eye climbed out, glancing about, orientating itself, before scurrying away before any of the guests in the Suite could spot it.

***O*O*O***

Elissa came to a stop, breaths coming a bit heavily and stomach still churning a bit uneasily. She glanced around the unfamiliar corridor she'd ended up in. Her gaze caught on a fiery golden light coming from a rectangular window in a room to her left and she turned towards it, walking into the small room and coming to a stop before it. Her arms crossing as she stared out the window at the raging sun that would soon burn the planet she lived on. She turned her head at the sound of steps, her gaze landing on a bright blue-skinned woman as she paused in the doorway at the sight of her standing in front of the window.

"Oh," Elissa murmured, turning more fully from the window and smiled at the woman, who was staring at her, "Um… hi. Uh," she blinked as the woman stared at her some more, "Sorry, is something wrong?"

The woman glanced about uneasily, checking to see if they were really alone, before turning her gaze back to her, "You have to give us permission to talk."

"Uh, what?" Elissa frowned with confusion, what was she on about permission to talk? The blue-skinned woman stared at her expectantly, "Um, alright… permission given?" she tried and got a pleased beaming grin from the woman.

"Oh, thank you!" she said gratefully, "And, no," she shook her head, "Nothing's wrong I just wasn't expecting anyone in here," she smiled sheepishly, "Sorry to stare."

"Oh," Elissa murmured glancing back to the sun before turning back to the woman who'd started over to the wall, "Should I not be in here or something?"

"No," the woman assured looking over her shoulder at her, "You're fine. Guests are allowed anywhere."

"Ok," Elissa murmured and turned back to the raging sun, her teeth sinking into her lower lip as she watched it.

"Forgive me miss," the woman spoke again, eyeing the brunette with mild concern and Elissa turned her gaze from the sun to look at her questioningly, "But, is everything alright?"

Elissa smiled, one of her hands clenching over the top of her over the shoulder bag, her thoughts going to her journal wondering how much longer she had before everything she'd experienced and seen that day was gone like it'd never happened, "Yeah," she smiled at her, "Just thinking," she assured.

The woman nodded and turned back to the panel in the wall and punched in a code with sure fingers, unlocking it.

Elissa shifted away from the window, turning her thoughts from her memory problems, "What's your name?"

"Raffalo," the woman replied.

"Raffalo?" Elissa repeated.

Raffalo glanced over her shoulder again with a small smile and a nod, "Yes, miss."

"Elissa," the brunette supplied.

Raffalo stared a moment completely taken aback, before she beamed a wide happy grin that was all teeth, "I won't be long," she forced herself to turn back to the open panel in the wall, "I've just got to carry out some maintenance," she explained, kneeling in front of the air vent that she needed to get into, "There's a tiny little glitch in the Face of Boe's suite. There must be something blocking the system. He's not getting any hot water."

"Sounds um…" Elissa hesitated searching for a descriptive word, "Troublesome?" she offered after a beat.

"Not really," Raffalo replied easily, still beaming from ear to ear, rather enjoying the fact that she'd actually been given permission to talk by a guest. A guest that had even introduced herself, "I'll have it fixed in a jiffy. Once I find the cause of the blockage."

"So, you're a, um…" Elissa trailed.

Raffalo grinned, "A plumber, miss."

Elissa nodded, "…Right. And they fix the hot water."

Raffalo nodded, "Among other things, miss."

"Are – Are you from somewhere nearby?" Elissa asked curiously.

"I'm from Crespallion," Raffalo replied, "Which isn't all that near to here. Pretty far actually."

"Oh…" Elissa gave another nod, before curiosity had her asking another question, "Crespallion – is that a planet?"

"No," Raffalo smiled, "Crespallion's part of the Jaggit Brocade, affiliated to the Scarlet Junction, Convex 56," she explained, Elissa blinked rapidly having no clue what any of those places where but still nodded and smiled at the cheerful woman, "And where are you from, miss?" Raffalo questioned just as curiously, encouraged by the friendly if slightly bewildered smile on the brunette's face, "If you don't mind me asking."

"No, I don't mind," Elissa murmured, "I'm pretty far from home myself – or at least it feels like I am. Just sort of made a spur of the moment decision to hitch a lift with this man. Didn't put to much thought into it really."

"Sounds like you trust him," Raffalo offered.

Elissa shook her head, "Barely know him," she shrugged, "He's a complete stranger – but then, so's everyone really."

Everyone in her life felt like a complete stranger to her whether they were or not. Rose, who called every morning according to her journal and introduced herself as her best friend. And Mickey who she'd left sitting alone in an alley somewhere to join the Doctor in his time machine without a backwards glance. Rose's mum too, who apparently always invited her to have dinner with them. She didn't know them, not one of them. She just had a small snap shot from what she'd managed to look through of her current journal and that didn't tell her what they were like. Just what they'd done – things she couldn't remember doing.

Her gaze refocused on Raffalo, who was staring at her with confusion and some concern. She smiled and attempted to shake off her morose thoughts, "Anyway, I should let you find that blockage. I'm sure the Face of Boe would like to have hot water," she gave Raffalo a parting smile and turned to leave.

"Thank you, miss," Raffalo called after her, "And, uh," Elissa paused and turned her head to look at her again, "Thank you," the brunette's expression turned confused, "For the permission," Raffalo explained, "Not many people are that considerate."

"Oh, anytime," Elissa smiled, "Bye," she said in farewell, before turning and starting from the room again, stepping back out into the corridor as Raffalo turned back to the air vent she'd opened before she'd gotten talking.

"Now then," Raffalo murmured as she peered into the vent, "Control," she spoke into a small comm attached to her collar, "I'm at Junction 19 and I think the problem's coming from in here. I'll go inside and have a look," she paused as a small tapping sound of metal against metal came from deeper inside the vent, "What's that?" she frowned, "Is something in there?" she called into the vent. A moment later Raffalo blinked as a small metal robotic spider with a red eye appeared at the end of the shaft.

"Oh!" she exclaimed with surprise her expression lightening at the tiny thing, "Who are you, then?" she asked it only for it to turn and scuttle away as if scared, "Hold on!" she called after it, "I…" she started shifting into the vent, "If you're an upgrade I just need to register you, that's all!" she tried to assure it as she manoeuvred herself along the shaft, "Oh, come back," she pleaded a second before a red light illuminated her face, "Ah," she beamed as the little spider came back into sight, "There you are. Now, I just need to register your ident," she paused as a second spider joined the first, "Oh, there's two of you! Got yourself a little mate," she giggled, "I think I better report this to Control," she mused eyeing them as a third and then a forth joined the first two and she paused suddenly a bit concerned, "What are you?" more metal spiders scurried up, "Oh, no. No. Nooooo!" she screamed as she was dragged head first along the vent.

***O*O*O***

"Elissa?" the Doctor called as he poked his head into a room, casting his gaze about the space before continuing on down the corridor he was in. He poked his head into another room, calling for the brunette.

He frowned at the empty room, before continuing on along the corridor, tugging on his ear with concern.

Where had she gotten off to so fast?

"Would the owner of the blue box," the Time Lord paused in his stride at that, his head tilting as he listened, "In private gallery 15 please report to the Steward's office immediately," the announcement over the loudspeakers continued as the Doctor huffed out a breath and turned on his heel, heading back the way he'd come, "Guests are reminded that use of teleportation devices is strictly forbidden under Peace Treaty 5.4/cup/16. Thank you."

Just what he needed, the staff trying to get handsy with his Tardis whilst he had an overwhelmed companion to find.

***O*O*O***

"Yep," Elissa sighed as she entered a room, having thought it to be the Manchester Suite. She peered about the room that looked a lot like the one she'd entered when she'd stepped out of the Tardis, "I'm lost…"

She stepped a bit further into the room and sank down on the top step. She stared at the round metal ball that had been given as a gift of peace by the Adherents of the Repeated Meme, before she sighed out another low breath and set it down. Her gaze going to the window and the view of planet Earth it gave. The brunette feeling rather lost and alone in that moment as she stared at the planet.

"Earth Death in 25 minutes," the computerised voice announced and Elissa glanced up in direction it was coming from, "Earth Death in 25 minutes."

"Thanks," she muttered lowly, "Really needed that reminder," her gaze went back to the window and the planet beyond, "Well – at least I've got a good view," she pulled a bit of a face not sure she wanted a good view.

"S'pose I could start making some notes…" Elissa mused after a moment of silence and she shifted slightly so that she could easier reach into her bag and pulled out her journal and grabbed a pen. She settled the journal on her lap and flipped it open, riffling through the pages until she reached her last entry. The one that had made her wonder if she'd been going a bit mad or trying to play some kind of joke…

She placed the pen between her teeth and lifted the helpful to do list stabled to the top of the page with one hand whilst leaning back on the other, her eyes going over what she'd hastily written – she had so much to write.

And no idea where to even start.

Behind her, the metal egg she'd set down and forgotten about, twitched before a metal spider broke free of it.

***O*O*O***

"Oi, now," the Doctor harrumphed, frowning a bit as he watched a group of the little blue members of staff wheel his Tardis away, "Careful with that. Park it properly. No scratches," he warned. If he saw one scratch on her… the rather irked thought at having to witness his Tardis being manhandled broke off as one of the little blue people turned to him. It gave a little squeak as it handed a little ticket over to him.

The Doctor glanced down at it, 'Have A Nice Day' he looked up staring after the little blue staff member with incredulity, before he shook his head and turned away just as a few metal spiders scuttled up the wall.

"Right," the Time Lord muttered to himself as he walked towards a door intent on continuing his search for Elissa, "Let's try through here."

***O*O*O***

Elissa sighed out a defeated breath, completely unaware of the metal spider that was currently scanning the hand that she was resting her weight on. She shifted, lifting her hand from the floor making the spider scuttle back a step eyeing her cautiously. She flicked her journal shut with nothing written on the fresh page she'd turned too. The brunette giving up for the moment on trying to think of what to write – how to explain it so that she'd have the most chance of believing it after she'd forgotten again.

"Elissa?" she heard the Doctor's voice call from close by as she shoved her journal back into her bag. Behind her the metal spider turned and scuttled away, "Are you in there?" the Time Lord asked as she dropped her pen into the bag too. He entered the room and grinned at seeing her sitting on the step and started over to her, "Aye, aye. What do you think, then?" he asked as he settled himself comfortably on the step beside her.

"I think, I've got no way of describing any of this without sounding insane," Elissa replied after a short beat of silence, "What with the slightly psychic paper and aliens from all over," she gestured with an arm and the Doctor grinned, "And the stretched out skin calling itself the Last Human –," she turned to the Time Lord wide-eyed, "She didn't even have fingers!" she felt a shiver run down her spine, "Or-or anything!"

The Doctor sniggered with amusement, still grinning widely, "Good thing I didn't take you to the Deep South."

Elissa blinked, opening her mouth closing it, then opening it again a question on the tip of her tongue, "Nope," she muttered after a moment shaking her head, "Not gonna ask," she decided, she rather not know right now – not if the 'Deep South' was more unnerving than a thin bit of skin being all that remained of the Human Race.

"Ah, it's not so bad," the Doctor assured and Elissa turned her head to look at him again to see him grinning still, "The aliens are just a bit more – colourful," his grin faded slightly, "Cassandra's not the last, you know. There's lots of humans out there, all across the universe."

Elissa frowned, "Then why'd she call herself the last, then?"

The Doctor shrugged, "You'd have to ask her that," he replied and then grinned in amusement as Elissa scrunched her nose up disquietedly at the thought of getting close enough to the skin to ask a question.

"So…" Elissa spoke again after a moment, her scrunched up nose smoothing out as curiosity took hold once more as she eyed the Time Lord, "Where are you from?"

The Doctor shrugged with as much nonchalance as he could muster at the question, "All over the place," he replied evasively, before he turned his eyes away from her to look out the window at the Earth, hoping that the curious brunette wouldn't press further. He didn't want to think about his home. Let alone try to talk about it.

Elissa's brows rose in surprise and she blinked, "There's a planet out there called 'All Over The Place'?"

The Doctor snorted out a short laugh, his gaze going back to her, blue eyes amused as he continued to chortle lightly, "No. Well," he amended after a beat, "Might be – somewhere. It's a big old universe, you know."

"Nope," Elissa shook her head, "I hadn't a clue," she remarked, before looking away from him her gaze landing on the Earth, "It's funny – all those aliens look so different and yet they all speak the same way I do."

"No, they don't," the Doctor replied and Elissa turned her gaze to him again curiously, "You just hear English."

Elissa frowned slightly.

"It's a gift of the Tardis," the Doctor expounded, "The telepathic field, gets inside your brain and translates so you can understand."

"Telepathic field…?" Elissa murmured slowly; brow still slightly furrowed.

"Yep. Makes it so every language you hear is one you understand. So, in your case English!" the Doctor grinned.

"Right," Elissa muttered, she'd gotten that – hadn't fully understood some of the words but she'd gotten the gist, "And… this telepathic field is inside my brain – right now?"

"Well, yeah!" the Doctor exclaimed, before tacking on in an attempt to reassure as Elissa continued to frown, "In a good way."

"Well, alright then," Elissa murmured.

The Doctor blinked, eyeing her with mild surprise, "That's it?"

"Yeah," Elissa shrugged, "Didn't even know it was there until you said something," she looked away and she'd forget again soon enough. No point getting worked up, "So," she started again, turning her mind from her thoughts and the journal that was waiting in her bag for her to fill more of its pages, "What kind of alien comes from 'All Over the Place'?"

"Told you, it's not a planet," the Doctor huffed, before he sighed and sat up as she continued to stare at him, "I'm just the Doctor, Elissa."

Elissa stared at him a moment longer before looking a way with a nod, that sense of loneliness settling in a little deeper as her gaze returned to the planet, "Ok," she murmured, taking the less than subtle hint.

The Doctor sighed tugging at his ear briefly as he looked at her from the corner of his eye, "It's not like you'd know where it is."

"True," Elissa nodded and then shook her head, "Doesn't matter," she murmured, she'd have forgotten come tomorrow anyway, "I was just curious," she smiled, "Don't really know much about you," or anyone for that matter, her brain unhelpfully tacked on making her grimace slightly as she looked out towards the planet again.

"Oi," the Doctor nudged her lightly, drawing her gaze back to him and he grinned at her, "I don't know much of anything about you either!"

"Yeah…" Elissa nodded and turned her gaze back out the window as she continued in a low murmur, "Two strangers together at the end of the world."

"Earth Death in 20 minutes," the computerized voice announced and the Time Lord's smile faded as Elissa stood and started over to the window as the announcement continued, "Earth Death in 20 minutes."

The Doctor slowly stood, eyeing Elissa's turned back as he walked over to her, quietly coming up beside her.

"I'm still finding it difficult to believe it's gonna end," Elissa murmured, her gaze still on the Earth. An Earth that looked fine – perfect to her eyes.

"Regret coming?" the Doctor asked glancing at her.

Elissa shook her head, "No…" she swallowed tearing her gaze from the planet to look at him with troubled and confused eyes, "It just feels so far away," she glanced at him, eyes quizzical, "Is that a thing?"

The Doctor nodded solemnly, "Yeah. It is," he took a breath and then smiled as he turned to face her, "Tell you what," he held out a hand, "Hand me your phone."

Elissa blinked, "My phone?"

"Yeah, phone – give me," he demanded and wiggled his fingers at her in a silent bid to get a move on about it.

"Don't see why you want it," Elissa muttered as she dug a hand into her bag, searching about its contents for her phone.

"Well, I thought you might like to phone home – but if you'd rather not…" the Doctor trailed off.

Elissa blinked, stunned, "You can do that?" she asked as she went back to searching, her hand closing about her mobile, "Phone home from the end of the world?" she questioned as she pulled her phone out and handed it to him.

"With a little jiggery pokery," the Doctor replied as he took apart the phone he'd been handed with ease.

"Jiggery pokery?" Elissa questioned.

The Doctor grinned at her, "Yep!"

Elissa eyed him, "Did you – did you just make that up?"

"No," the Doctor denied as he continued to fiddle with the phone in his hand, "It's a very technical term jiggery pokery," he glanced up at her again, blue eyes amused as he gave her another wide grin, "Covers a wide range of topics and procedures, the old jiggery pokery."

Elissa eyed him a moment longer before shaking her head, "You're having me on," she decided.

"Perhaps a smidge," the Time Lord admitted and Elissa smiled, "But jiggery pokery really is a very helpful blanket term. Oooh," he hummed in the next moment as he slotted a new battery into the phone and closed it back up, "There you go," he handed it back to Elissa who eyed it, lower lip caught between her teeth.

"Well, go on," the Doctor urged after a moment had passed and Elissa still hadn't moved to call anyone, "Give it a go!"

Elissa entered into her phone, blinking at the term 'Universal Roaming Active' that was on the screen, before she pulled up the call log. Her gaze landed on the last call received. She pressed the call button and slowly brought the phone up to her ear as it told her it was 'calling Rose'. She shifted slightly as she heard it ring.

"Hey Lissa!" came the bright response as the blond picked, "This is new," she commented happily as she threw herself down on the couch in the Tyler's living room, "Normally it's me calling you! I take you've read the journal?"

Elissa blinked, "Yeah – course. I was just looking at it…" she murmured and beside her the Doctor eyed her quietly.

"Oh, did you have a question?" Rose asked, "Cos, I can probably answer it."

Elissa frowned, "Do I generally have questions?"

"Sometimes," Rose replied, "Depends what happened the day before."

"Oh, well – don't think I have any questions," Elissa murmured, "Yesterday was Friday, right?"

"It was Tuesday, Lis," Rose told her, "It's Wednesday today."

"Right!" Elissa exclaimed, a little confused, glancing briefly at the Doctor who was still stood beside her, "Course it was."

On the other end of the line, Rose frowned, "You alright? You've been keeping up with your journal, right? Cos that's important."

"Yeah, I have," Elissa assured internally cringing at the fact that she still hadn't written anything yet, "I was just… a little confused."

"Alright," Rose agreed, before she sighed, "I should get back to work my breaks supposed to be over – but I'll stop by after work. We can hang out do girl things."

"Girl things?" Elissa blinked, brows quirking.

"You'll love it! You'll see," Rose assured, "Then we can go back to mine. Have dinner with mum –," the blond trailed and a voice shouted for her in the background, "Alright! I'm coming!" the blond shouted back before speaking into the phone again, "Sorry Lis, boss is calling. Gotta get back to work. But see you tonight, ok?"

Elissa blinked and lowered the phone from her ear as Rose disconnected the call. Beside her the Doctor grinned as he eyed her rather stunned expression, "Think that's amazing, you want to see the bill?"

Elissa eyed him, "What bill?"

"Uh…" the Doctor tugged at his ear, "Never mind."

Elissa turned her gaze back to the phone in her hand, "I really just phoned home from the end of the world…" she murmured trailing off.

"Yep!" the Doctor grinned, before his expression turned s little concerned as he eyed her, "Feeling better?"

Elissa blinked, thinking about it briefly, "Funnily enough – yeah," she nodded and smiled, the lonely feeling she'd been experiencing having subsided greatly, "Though, now I've gotta wonder – what's girl stuff?"

The Doctor shrugged and made to reply only to get diverted as a shudder suddenly ran through the ship, "That's not supposed to happen…" he murmured rather pleased and curious. He turned and started for the door.

Elissa blinked after him before hurrying to follow him out of the room and out into the corridor beyond.

***O*O*O***

"Well, what was it?" the Steward asked Control with growing irritation, "I'm just getting green lights at this end," he informed before he shifted in his office chair slightly and pressed a button for the loudspeaker, "Honoured guests may be reassured that gravity pockets may cause slight turbulence," he announced calmly, "Thank you," he pressed the button again turning it off, "The whole place shook," he grumbled at Control again, "I felt it!" he exclaimed with annoyance, "I've hosted all sorts of events on Platforms One, Three, Six and Fifteen and I've never felt the slightest tremor. I warn you, if this lot decide to sue… I'm going to scan the infrastructure," he decided and pressed a few buttons, before he frowned, "What's that?"

The robotic spider that had broken free of the egg that was sitting forgotten on the Steward's desk scuttled down the wall behind him.

"Control," the Steward spoke again, "I don't want to worry you, but I'm picking up readings…" the computer beeped, "I have no idea! Well… they're small. The scan says they're metal…" the computer beeped again and the Steward frowned frustrated, "I don't know what they look like!" he exclaimed only to pause as movement out of the corner of his eye caught his attention and his gaze went to his desk landing on the small robotic spider with a single red eye as it puttered around on his desk by a mug, "Although, I imagine they might look rather like that…" he muttered, "You're not on the guest list…" the Steward told the spider, "How did you get on board…?"

The spider stared at him almost mockingly, before it lifted a single thin metal leg and brought it down on a yellow button on the control panel.

"No," the Steward breathed, eyes wide.

"Sun filter deactivated," the female computerised voice announced.

"No!" the Steward cried with alarm.

"Sun filter descending," and the room started to fill with light from the ceiling as the filter on the windows truly did start to descend.

"No!" the Steward shouted frantically, "Sun filter up!" he commanded fumbling with buttons on his control panel frantically, "No, no, no!"

"External temperature four thousand degrees."

"Control, respond!" the Steward continued to try, "Sun filter up!" he shouted.

"Sun filter descending," the computerised voice announced again as the Steward was engulfed in the suns bright light and he screamed. Whilst the spider escaped, scurrying out of the office through the air vent.

***O*O*O***

"Indubitably," the Moxx of Balhoon was saying to the Face of Boe as the Doctor and Elissa walked back into the Manchester Suite, "This is the Bad Wolf scenario. I find the inherent laxity of the on-going multiverse…"

"That wasn't a gravity pocket," the Doctor murmured to his companion as he started fiddling with a control panel next to the door, "I know gravity pockets and they don't feel like that," he stated as Jabe who'd noticed them re-enter approached them, his eyes flicking to her briefly, "What do you think, Jabe?" he questioned, "Listened to the engines? They've pitched up about 30 hertz, is that dodgy or what?"

"It's the sound of metal," Jabe replied with a light shrug, eyeing him, "It doesn't make any sense to me."

"Where's the engine room?" the Doctor questioned.

"I don't know… but the maintenance duct is just behind our guest suite," Jabe informed him, "I could show you. And…" she gestured at Elissa, "Your wife."

Elissa blinked, "His what?"

"She not my wife," the Doctor answered.

"Partner?" Jabe questioned.

The Doctor shook his head, "No."

"Concubine?" Jabe tried again and Elissa started to frown as she glanced from the pretty Tree to the Doctor and back again, feeling like she was perhaps, maybe, missing something.

"Nope," the Doctor grinned.

Jabe glanced at Elissa again, looking her over, before turning her gaze back to the Doctor as she guessed, "Prostitute?"

"Nope," Elissa cut in, "Not that either," at least she assumed she wasn't considering she had no idea what that even was and she had an inkling of a feeling that she didn't want to know either.

"She's a friend," the Doctor cut in before Jabe could respond.

Elissa blinked and glanced at him, "I am – we are?"

The Doctor glanced at her in return, "Well, yeah," then frowned slightly as he eyed her, "Why? Don't you want to be?"

"No!" Elissa exclaimed, "I do!" she smiled and nodded as Jabe eyed the two of them with some bemusement, "I'd like that – being friends."

The Doctor nodded, "Good!" he grinned pleased, even as Elissa looked away, pulling at her lower lip gently both rather pleased at that and a little sad. Her journal still empty of an entry for the day – and she had no idea how long she had left before she wouldn't remember that any of this had even happened. Would forget him, again.

"Right then, shall we both off?" the Doctor asked of the two women as he proffered his arms at them.

"Uh," Elissa hesitated, biting her lower lip indecisively for a moment both wanting to take his arm and join the two and stay at the same time – the blank page in her journal playing on her mind, "Actually – I think, I'll stay here," she decided, "If that's ok?" she tacked on as the Doctor's smile faltered and his brow furrowed lightly.

"Yeah," he nodded, eyeing her, "It's fine. Just, are you sure?"

Elissa nodded, "Yeah – might mingle a bit. Possibly work up the nerve to talk to the skin," she grimaced and the Doctor grinned at her again amused, "I mean the Last Human," she corrected herself. _'Think of what I can put in my journal to convince myself I'm not going crazy when I look at it tomorrow,'_ she silently added, not wanting to get into that with Jabe standing right there, looking at her as she waited patiently for her and the Doctor to finish talking.

"Alright," the Doctor nodded, "Have fun – don't get into trouble," he tacked on before he turned to Jabe and proffered his arm to her once more, "I'm all yours."

Jabe took his arm and the two headed for the door, Elissa watching a little bemused as they stepped back out into the corridor. She shook her head, completely unsure of just what trouble the Doctor thought she'd find, she turned and started slowly across the suite, her eyes roving over the gathered guests.

"Earth Death in 15 minutes," the computerised voice informed them as Elissa's gaze went to the window catching on the view of the Earth again and her steps quickened slightly as she made her way over to it, "Earth Death in 15 minutes."

***O*O*O***

The Doctor and Jabe made their way towards the maintenance corridor. Several metal spiders scurried out of sight behind swags of wiring and piping, just before the door opened and the two stepped inside the rather narrow corridor.

"Who's in charge of Platform One? Is there a Captain or what?" the Doctor asked as they moved along it.

"There's just the Steward and the staff. All the rest is controlled by the metal man," Jabe replied.

"You mean the computer? But who controls that?" he pressed.

"The Corporation," she stated before expounding, "They move Platform One from one artistic event to another."

There was a brief silence as the Doctor considered this, "But there's no one from the Corporation on board?"

"They're not needed," Jabe replied, "This facility is purely automatic. It's the height of Alpha class. Nothing can go wrong."

"Unsinkable?" the Doctor questioned with a bit of a wry smirk as he continued to lead them down the narrow corridor.

"If you like," Jabe nodded her agreement, "The nautical metaphor is appropriate."

"You're telling me," he grinned and got a curious look from Jabe, "I was on board another ship once. They said it was unsinkable… I ended up clinging to an iceberg, it wasn't half cold," he paused in his stride as he turning to look at Jabe, "So, what you're saying is, if we get in trouble there's no one to help us out?"

The Doctor grinned, "Fantastic."

"I don't understand," Jabe murmured with confusion, "In what way is that fantastic?" she stared after him for a moment as he started along the corridor again, before starting after him with a small shake of her head.

Behind them, a metal spider crept out of its hiding place amongst the pipes and wires, its red eye looking after them.

***O*O*O***

Elissa stood at the window, ignoring the sounds of the guests as they mingled about the room around her. Her gaze locked on the Earth, hoping that if she stared at it long enough, somehow, someway she'd remember what it looked like – what it felt like to look out the window and see it there amidst the black sky that was brightened significantly by the fiery golden red glow of the growing sun.

The fresh page in her journal still empty – the brunette still completely unsure what to write, to tell herself…

"Oh, it is a sight, isn't it?" she heard a twittering voice exclaim from nearby and she turned her head, her eyes widening slightly to see Cassandra wheeling herself over to the large observation window she was standing at – coming directly towards her. She looked away again, her lips pursing slightly at the uneasiness she felt churning in her stomach again at the sight of the thin bit of skin latched to the frame, "Soon," Cassandra continued not seeming to need a response from the brunette she'd come up beside, "The sun will blossom into a red giant, and my home will die. That's where I used to live, when I was a little boy, down there. Mummy and Daddy had a little house built into the side of the Los Angeles Crevice," she let out a low sigh that was almost wistful as her mind turned to her childhood memories, "I had such fun."

Elissa blinked at her, wondering why she was telling her this, before she turned her gaze back to the planet and took a breath, "I'd heard," she broke her silence, "That there's lots of humans – all across the universe."

Cassandra sniffed as she glanced at the brunette, "They say mankind has touched every star in the sky."

"So -," Elissa frowned confused as she eyed the piece of skin beside her, taking the opportunity to ask the question she had earlier, "Why do you call yourself 'The Last Human' if there's others out there?"

"I'm the last pure human," Cassandra replied, "The others…" she sniffed again this time with disgusted disdain, her eyes narrowed with it as she continued, "Mingled. Oh, they call themselves 'New Humans' and 'Proto-Humans' and 'Digi-Humans' even 'Human-ish'," she huffed whilst Elissa blinked at her, brow furrowed, "But you know what I call them?" she asked and Elissa shook her head, "Mongrels," Cassandra whispered with disgust.

"Mongrels?" Elissa muttered as she shifted a little uncomfortably at the intensity of disgust in Cassandra's voice.

"Filthy mixed breeds," Cassandra hissed in explanation, her lips pursing with disgust, "Out of them all, I alone kept myself pure."

"Is that what you call having all those surgeries?" Elissa questioned, turning from the window to face her, "Keeping yourself pure?"

"Mere augments," Cassandra waved her off, "It takes work, Elissa. It was Elissa, wasn't it?" the brunette barely had the time to nod before Cassandra was talking again, "It takes a lot of work and effort to look as good as I do. I'll have had a total of 709 operations next week. I'm having my blood bleached," she eyed the brunette, "You know, a bit of cosmetic work wouldn't go a miss for you either. You could be flatter. You've got a little bit of a chin poking out."

Elissa touched her chin, her face rapidly paling at the idea of getting her chin removed like Cassandra had boasted when she'd first entered the Suite, "Pretty sure it's supposed to do that," she muttered weakly – a flare of hurt striking her at the idea that her chin stuck out to much.

"It doesn't hurt, you know," Cassandra went on conversationally, "Barely feel a thing and you can't argue with these results. I've never been thinner."

Elissa visibly blanched, "Nope," she stated flatly her expression sickened, "I'd rather be all chin then be a bit of skin."

"Oh, well," Cassandra huffed rather offended as she eyed the brunette she'd decided to come talk to, "What do you know."

"I know that I like my chin!" Elissa huffed, fingers lifting to touch it again, "And all the other bits that make me human! I'd never want to look like you, Cassandra!" she stated with certainty, eyeing the skin with distaste, "You couldn't pay me enough to make me even consider it!" she turned on her heel and stalked off – wishing vehemently that Cassandra hadn't come over and talked to her as her stomach churned sickeningly with even the idea of turning herself into a bit of skin stretched over a metal frame.

The Adherents of the Repeated Meme shifted, watching the upset brunette walk through the sliding doors and out of the Suite as Cassandra huffed and puffed angrily to herself by the large observation window.

***O*O*O***

"So, tell me, Jabe," the Doctor began conversationally as two carried on down the maintenance duct, the low hanging ceiling forcing them to stoop, "What's a Tree like you doing in a place like this?"

"Respect for the Earth," was her immediate response.

"Oh, come on," he scoffed as he gave her a sceptical look, "Everyone on this Platform's worth zillions."

"Well…" she hedged, before admitting, "Perhaps it's a case of having been seen at the right occasions."

"In case your share prices drop? I know you lot," he remarked, "You've got massive forests everywhere, roots everywhere, and there's always money in land."

"All the same, we respect the Earth as family," she replied, "So many species evolved from that planet. Mankind is only one. I'm another. My ancestors were transplanted from the planet down below, and I'm a direct descendant of the tropical rainforest."

The Doctor stared at Jabe impressed, before he pointed to a control panel, "Excuse me," he murmured as he pulled his sonic screwdriver out of his pocket and began poking at the screen with it.

"And what about your ancestry, Doctor?" she questioned, "Perhaps you could tell a story or two... perhaps a man only enjoys trouble when there's nothing else left..."

The Time Lord remained quiet, his expression going carefully blank.

"I scanned you earlier," Jabe admitted, "The metal machine had trouble identifying your species, refused to admit your existence."

The Doctor fiddled with his sonic, emotion cracking his mask briefly as he fought for control over his emotions.

"And even when it named you, I wouldn't believe it. But it was right," she murmured and the Doctor stopped trying to scan the control panel as he swallowed thickly past the lump in his throat, "I know where you're from," Jabe continued her tone growing hushed with apology and no little awe as she stared at the deeply saddened Time Lord, "Forgive me for intruding, but it's remarkable that you even exist. I just want to say... how sorry I am," she murmured placing her hand on his arm as his eyes filled with tears and one fell down his cheek.

He placed a hand over hers, squeezing briefly before he shook it off as he got back to work, scanning the control panel with his sonic, steadfastly ignoring Jabe as he worked, concentrating on getting himself under control again. He opened the door and the two moved through the door and into a large ventilation chamber.

"Is it me, or is it a bit nippy?" he asked.

***O*O*O***

Elissa stepped through a doorway and into another corridor, her gaze going to the Adherents of the Repeated Meme as they entered at the other end. She offered them a polite smile as they got nearer to each other intending to just walk on by them and continue on her way – to, she wasn't sure where.

Only to crumple to the floor, her world going black, as one of the Meme's swung one of its metal arms at her, cold cocking her.

The Adherent of the Repeated Meme that had cold cocked her, reached down and quietly dragged her out of the corridor and into a room.

***O*O*O***

"Fair do's, though," the Doctor commented appreciatively as he looked around, "That's a great bit of air conditioning. Sort of nice and old fashioned," he grinned, "Bet they call it 'retro'," he turned to a panel, pointing his sonic at it and gave it a quick scan, "Gotcha!" he said triumphantly as the panel fell off and a metal spider fell out and scuttled away across the floor, before scurrying up the wall, "What the hells that?" he exclaimed as the two of them watched it.

"Is it part of the 'retro'?" Jabe asked.

"I don't think so," the Doctor muttered with a frown, "Hold on," he pointed it at the spider only for Jabe to fire a vine at it, immediately disabling it and bringing it to them, "Hey!" the Doctor exclaimed with a grin, "Nice liana!" he complimented as Jabe dropped the disabled spider into his waiting hand.

"Thank you," she murmured blushing a little, "We're not supposed to show them in public," she admitted.

"Don't worry, I won't tell anybody," he promised, before he turned his attention to the motionless robotic spider in his hand, "Now then, who's been bringing their pets on board?" he murmured as he eyed it intently.

"What does it do?" she asked.

"Sabotage," he said solemnly just before the computerized voice made another announcement over the speakers.

"Earth Death in 10 minutes."

"And the temperature's about to rocket. Come on," he urged and the two hurried from the chamber and back along the service corridor and out into the main ship.

"Earth Death in 10 minutes."

***O*O*O***

"The planet's end. Come gather, come gather!" Cassandra urged the guests milling about the Manchester Suite, "Bid farewell to the cradle of civilisation. Let us mourn her with a traditional ballad."

One of the little blue attendants pushed another button on the Jukebox, making another record fall into place and Toxic by Britany Spears blasted from the speakers.

***O*O*O***

The Doctor and Jabe reached a corridor that was filled with smoke, panicked staff members and a wholly unpleasant smell.

"Come on! Get back!" the Doctor ordered the staff so that he could get to the control panel and started scanning it.

"Sun-filter rising. Sun-filter rising."

"Was the steward in there?!" Jabe exclaimed with concern and alarm.

"You can smell him," the Doctor responded solemnly, before he frowned at the control panel, "Hold on, there's another sun filter programmed to descend," he turned from the panel and hurried off down the corridor…

***O*O*O***

Elissa groaned as she came awake, a thumping pain in her head radiating from where she'd been hit, "Oh," she muttered as she sat up, "That's a headache," she groaned tentatively touching the spot, "Makes sense…"

"Sun filter descending," the computerised voice announced and the brunette froze in confusion.

"What?" she asked.

"Sun filter descending," the computer stated again and Elissa looked towards the window as the shuttered filter started to descend and a bright deadly glare started to fill the room, her eyes widened in dawning horror, "Sun filter descending."

Elissa scrambled to her feet, aching head forgotten as she raced over to the door and jabbed her fingers at the panel, she'd seen others using to operate the doors. Nothing happened, "Oh, you're kidding!" she breathed with horror, already starting to feel the heat from the bright rays of light, "Open! Come on!" she jabbed her hand frantically at the panel, "Come on!" she smacked her hands against the door, "How do you open!" she shouted.

"Sun filter descending."

"Let me out!" Elissa cried, smacking at the doors again, hoping against hope that they'd slid open like they were supposed to, "Let me out!"

***O*O*O***

"Sun filter descending," the computer announced as the Doctor ran into the corridor and directly over to the door.

"Anyone in there?" he called as he scanned the control panel with his sonic working to get the filter rising again.

"Doctor?!" Elissa shouted and the Doctor froze at the sound of her voice, "The doors! They won't let me out!"

The Doctor's hearts raced in his chest, "Oh well, it would be you," he grumbled in frustration as he started scanning again, moving faster than before. The need to stop the filter from descending increasing.

"The doors!" Elissa shouted, frantic, smacking at them again as the hot rays of the sun descended further into the room, "Can you get them open?!"

"Hold on! Give us two ticks!" the Doctor yelled back as he sonic-ed the controls willing them to co-operate as he scowled at them.

"Sun filter Descending," the computerised voice stated again as the deadly rays hit the top of the door and Elissa flinched downwards, sweat breaking out over her skin, her heart pounding, "Sun filter Descending."

"Sun filter rising," the computer announced and the Doctor looked rather pleased with himself whilst Elissa breathed a sigh of relief, her shoulders slumping with the weight of it as the bright rays that had been filling the room with smoke started to receded again as the filter rose, "Sun filter rising."

"Sun filter rising…" the computerized voice continued, "Sun filter descending."

The Doctor scowled heavily and got to work again, his body tensing all over again with fear, "This is just what we need," he griped with frustration, "The computer's getting clever."

"What the hell does that mean?!" Elissa shouted with alarm as the suns rays started filling the room again.

"It means it's fighting back!" the Time Lord shouted, frustrated as the computer foiled his attempts to change its sabotaged programming.

"Doctor! The sun!" Elissa shouted, ducking down as the rays descended further into the room than before.

"I know!" the Doctor shouted glowering at the computer, "Elissa! Get somewhere low – really low! As low as you can!"

Elissa glanced around rapidly before running down the stairs and flattening herself against the lowest point she could find, "The doors mechanism thing's melted!" she shouted frantically.

"Sun filter descending. Sun filter descending."

Frustrated with fiddling with it and highly aware of how little time he had left before the filter descended, the Doctor jabbed his sonic screwdriver right into the wiring and flicked the switch, in desperate attempt to scramble the sabotaged programming.

"Sun filter rising. Sun filter rising."

Elissa blinked as the filter started rising again, the suns rays receding. She got up on shaky legs and ran back up the steps and peered through the small rounded window again at the Doctor, "Can you get the doors to let me out now?" she pleaded.

The Doctor shook his head, "The whole things jammed. I can't open them," he scrubbed a frustrated hand through his short hair, "Stay there! Don't move!" he added for good measure before he turned and ran down the corridor.

"No problem there," Elissa muttered uneasily as she peered after him until he ran out of sight, her heart still pounding with fear – rather terrified that the voice would tell her that the filter was descending again.

"Earth Death in 5 minutes," it announced instead and Elissa turned from the door and looked around the smoke-filled room as she tugged anxiously at her lower lip.

***O*O*O***

The Doctor ran into the Manchester Suite to find the now concerned guests milling about the Suite, whilst Jabe tapped at her computer device, the disabled metal spider held in one hand.

Jabe eyed her computer intently, "The metal machine confirms," she called after her computer device gave a chirp, "The spider devices have infiltrated the whole of Platform One."

"How's that possible?" Cassandra gasped aghast, "Our private rooms are protected by a code wall. Moisturize me, moisturize me," she twittered.

The Doctor strode across the room with a purposeful stride and took the disabled spider out of Jabe's hand eyeing the spider.

"Summon the Steward!" the Moxx of Balhoon demanded.

Jabe shook her head sadly in response, "I'm afraid the Steward is dead," she informed them. There was a collective gasp of shock from the guests at the news.

"Who killed him?" the Moxx of Balhoon demanded to know, outraged.

"This whole event was sponsored by the Face of Boe! He invited us!" Cassandra declared accusingly and the Face of Boe shook his head inside his glass casing, "Talk to the face!" she insisted, "Talk to the face!"

"Easy way of finding out," the Doctor commented as he looked up from the metal spider, "Someone brought a little pet on board," he showed them the robotic spider he was holding, "Let's send him back to Master," he bent and placed the spider on the floor and immediately it scuttled across the floor coming to a stop at the base of Cassandra's metal frame. She glanced about a little shiftily for a moment as it looked up at her before it was scuttling off again, going directly to the Adherents of the Repeated Meme, stopping at their feet.

"The Adherents of the Repeated Meme, J'accuse!" Cassandra gasped aghast.

The Doctor strolled towards the Adherents of the Repeated Meme, "That's all very well, and really kind of obvious," he stated with a touch of impatience, "But if you stop and think about it..." he trailed as one of the Adherents of the Repeated Meme tried to strike at him the moment he was in range, but with a swift move he caught its arm and ripped it off without batting an eye, "A Repeated Meme is just an idea. And that's all they are. An idea," he remarked as he ripped a wire out of the arm he was holding and all of the Adherents of the Repeated Meme crumpled into a mess of black cloaks, and the guests gasped whilst Cassandra rolled her eyes with irritation, "Remote controlled Droids," the Doctor explained for the shocked guests, his light tone belying the simmering anger that had him gritting his teeth, "Nice little cover for the real troublemaker. Go on, Jimbo!" he ordered giving the spider an encouraging little nudge with his foot, "Go home!" he demanded sharply and the spider scurried back across the floor over to Cassandra, coming to stop at the foot of her frame again.

Cassandra narrowed her eyes at the Doctor, who was glaring at her coldly, "I bet you were the school swot and never got kissed," she huffed. The Doctor raised his eyebrows at her incredulously in response, "At arms!" she barked out an order and her two assistants stationed on either side of her raised their canisters.

"What are you going to do, moisturize me?" the Doctor asked mockingly, eyes cold as he inwardly seethed.

Cassandra smirked devilishly, "With acid. Oh, too late anyway," she cooed smugly, "My spiders have control of the mainframe. Oh, you all carried them as gifts, tax free, past every code wall. I'm not just a pretty face," she crowed smugly.

"Sabotaging a ship while you're still inside it? How stupid's that?" the Doctor mocked, his brows arching at her again.

"I'd hoped to manufacture a hostage situation with myself as one of the victims. The compensation would have been enormous," Cassandra explained with nonchalance, completely unconcerned.

The Doctor rolled his eyes, his anger simmering a bit harder Elissa had almost died because she wanted more money, "Five billion years and it still comes down to money," he sneered, eyeing Cassandra with disdain.

Cassandra glared at him, "Do you think it's cheap, looking like this?!" she exclaimed, "Flatness costs a fortune. I am The Last Human, Doctor. Me. Not that freaky little kid of yours!"

The Doctor's eyes narrowed at her.

"Arrest her," the Moxx of Balhoon demanded, "The infidel!"

"Oh, shut it, pixie," Cassandra huffed shooting the alien a disdainful glare, before she smirked smugly, "I've still got my final option."

"Earth Death in 3 minutes."

"And here it comes," Cassandra tittered, "You're just as useful dead, all of you. I have shares in your rival companies and they'll triple in price as soon as you're dead," she explained, "My spiders are primed and ready to destroy the safety systems. How did that old Earth song go?" she mused mockingly, "'Burn, baby, burn'."

"Then you'll burn with us," Jabe stated.

"Oh, I'm so sorry," Cassandra simpered, batting her lashes, "I know the use of teleportation is strictly forbidden, but... I'm such a naughty thing. Spiders, activate," she ordered and there was a series of carefully placed explosions around the ship, "Force fields gone with the planet about to explode. At least it'll be quick. Just like my fifth husband," Cassandra giggled at joke, "Oh, shame on me. Buh-bye, darlings!" she called as she and her assistants started to fade out of sight, "Buh-bye, my darlings," she called just before the three disappeared completely.

"Heat levels rising."

"Reset the computer!" the Moxx of Balhoon exclaimed with fright.

"Only the Steward would know how," Jabe told the distraught alien.

"No," the Doctor denied and shook his head, "We can do it by hand," he stated, "There must be a system restore switch. Jabe, come on," he called as he turned on his heel and stalked towards the doors, "You lot – just chill!" he called over his shoulder to the guests as Jabe hurried to follow him out of the room and into the corridor.

"Heat levels rising."

***O*O*O***

"Earth Death in 2 minutes," the computer announced and Elissa tugged at her lower lip again as she shifted anxiously on her feet as she stood helplessly in the room she was trapped in, "Earth Death 2 minutes."

She turned, her gaze going to the doors, wanting them to just slide open and let her out. She sighed and sank down on the steps, turning her gaze about the still smoke-filled room again. Fingers reaching for the lower lip again.

***O*O*O***

"Heat levels critical," the computer announced as the Doctor and Jabe ran back through the maintenance duct, "Heat levels critical."

They ran out of the duct and into the ventilation chamber and paused briefly as the Doctor glanced about for the switch, "Oh," he groaned as he spotted it on the other side of three sets of swiftly spinning fans, "And guess where the switch is."

"Heat levels rising," the computer warned again as the Doctor's gaze landed on a lever, "Heat levels rising."

He stepped over to it and pulled it down experimentally, his gaze going to the spinning blades of the fans. The Time Lord beaming a wide grin when the large sharp quickly spinning blades slowed down in response.

"External temperature, five thousand degrees."

The Doctor released the lever and his smile swiftly faded as the moment he let go the fans picked up speed again, spinning just as quickly as they had before.

Jabe glanced from the fans to the Doctor that was staring at them with growing helplessness as he contemplated the impossibility of getting through all three fans and to the system restore switch. She turned her gaze to lever and stepped up to it, grasping it firmly between her hands and pressed down.

The Doctor blinked as the blades of the fans slowed again, before he turned to look at the lever to see Jabe holding it down, "You can't," he told her with concern, "The heats going to vent through this place."

"I know," Jabe replied.

"Jabe, you're made of wood."

Jabe took a breath and quirked her lips up into a small smile as she met his concerned gaze with her determined one, "Then stop wasting time, Time Lord."

The Doctor grinned at her, before he turned and ran over to the first of the large fans he had to get through to reach the switch.

"Heat levels rising. Heat levels rising."

***O*O*O***

"Heat levels hazardous," the computerized voice warned as the scared guests in the Manchester Suite stood huddled rather close together. A crack appearing in the observation window, "Heat levels hazardous."

"We're going to die!" the Moxx of Balhoon cried.

***O*O*O***

"Heat levels hazardous," the computerized voice warned a third time as the Doctor, stepped forward dodging the oncoming blade and ran on towards the second fan.

***O*O*O***

Elissa trembled with terror as she cowered against the far wall, her wide terrified eyes on the glass as the thick glass of the window started to splinter and crack under the heat of the nearby expanding sun.

"Shields malfunctioning," the computerized voice warned and Elissa swallowed heavily against the large painful lump lodged in her throat, "Shields malfunctioning."

Her chest heaved with her breathes. She didn't want to die! She really didn't! She didn't want to die alone in here! Sweat slicked her skin as she cowered closer to the wall. The rays of the sun lancing in the room, hitting closer and closer to where she cowered as low as possibly could, the room filling with more smoke.

She ducked her head, hiding it in her arms protectively and then suddenly to her confusion and alarm the heat of the deadly rays stopped feeling so hot. She lifted her head her eyes confused as she glanced about, the rays still lancing through the room, more and more joining them. Her gaze was drawn to her hands, her skin starting to glow softly a similar golden to that of the rays that were lancing into the room, her clothes wisps of smoke starting to rise up from under her clothes as the glow seeped out from under them…

"Oh… what now?!" she cried with growing alarm as unknown to her, her hazel eyes starting to eerily glow with a similar light, "What the hell is happening to me?!" she shouted as she stared at her softly glowing skin – a strange sensation bubbling beneath her skin – an itch – a crawling, bubbling, itch sensation.

She trembled, alarmed terrified and confused tears starting to streak down her cheeks as she stared at her hands, the hot beads of salty water steaming off her skin as her internal temperature slowly started to rise, making the heat of the room feel even less dangerously hot than before. A ray of light hit close to her head and she ducked her head down on instinct, the heat that close feeling dangerous again.

She squeezed her eyes tightly shut against the sight of her glowing skin, the brightness of it slowly increasing – the foreign crawling itching sensation that was bubbling under skin increasing along with it…

A terrified scream tore from her throat as she tried to will the feeling and golden glow coming from her skin away!

***O*O*O***

The Doctor glanced from the second fan he was still stood before to look back at Jabe, his concern growing at seeing her breathing heavily and sweat slicking her bark-like skin. He turned back to the fan staring up at it with increasing anxiousness. His gaze locked on the revolving fan, needing to get passed it.

"Heat levels critical. Heat levels critical," the computerized warning came again. He timed his moment and stepped forward, stepping successfully in between the revolving blades before running quickly on towards the third.

***O*O*O***

The cracked glass in the Manchester Suite splintered further and the Moxx of Balhoon screamed as he was enveloped in the deadly ray of light that broke through into the Suite.

***O*O*O***

Elissa let out a shaky sob, practically seeing gold behind her closed lids as the glow of her skin increased further. More smoke starting to rise from under her clothes. The crawling sensation underneath her skin, growing rather painful as she tried to fight the frightening foreign feeling – to supress and shove it away.

"Heat levels rising."

***O*O*O***

"Heat levels rising."

Jabe started to shake violently. She let out a shocked, pained gasp as one of her hands caught fire and she released the lever. She screamed as she combusted and the Doctor whirled around with alarm at the sound. He gritted his teeth, his hearts heavy at seeing her gone. He turned back to the fan to see the blades spinning faster than before – becoming a blur of movement. He eyed the blur of the blade of the third fan intently as the computer started the countdown to the planet's imminent explosion.

His hearts pounding harshly against his ribcage as the single digit numbers were called out. He closed his eyes and stepped forward, smoothly stepping past the blade, before he opened his eyes and dashed the last of the distance to the reset breaker, "Raise shields!" he shouted with only seconds to spare.

***O*O*O***

"Nope. Not happening! It's not happening!" Elissa muttered to herself, the sensation still crawling as her skin continued to glow. The brunette still trying to will it away even as the computerized countdown continued.

"One."

She let out another sob, tightening her glowing arms around her head as beyond the window the Earth was engulfed in fire and exploded.

"Exoglass repair," the computerized voice announced and Elissa stilled, "Exoglass repair," the splintered and cracked glass sealed itself, "Exoglass repair."

Elissa slowly, cautiously raised her head from under her arms, her golden glowing eyes taking in the fixed window. And she let out a shaky breath, her body trembling where she sat cowering against the wall. She turned her gaze down to her hands, lower lip caught anxiously between her teeth and she watched with a confused frown and anxious eyes as the glow coming from her skin, seeping out from underneath her clothes, receded as her internal temperature slowly cooled back down to a human normal. The golden light that had been glowing behind the hazel of her eyes receded as it did in her skin as if it hadn't been there at all. Along with the crawling sensation. She slowly shifted, gingerly touching her skin with trepidation only to find it to feel like it had before.

She stared at her hands confused. Her gaze slowly shifted, going to her clothes and she frowned to see parts of it singed in seemingly random places. She clambered to her feet with shaky limbs and looked down to see a slight shadowy darkening of the wall, outlining where she'd sat cowering against it.

She swallowed heavily and turned away from it, turning her confused gaze about the still smouldering room. Her gaze went back to her hands that still looked completely normal… she clenched her hands into fists and glanced about the room again, before she turned and hurried out the doors that had opened – wanting to put as much distance between her and the strange occurrence as possible.

***O*O*O***

The Doctor walked slowly through the now slowly revolving blades of the fans, pausing by Jabe's smouldering remains. He stared down at them solemnly, regret filling him at her passing. He looked up and carried on. His jaw clenching as his simmering anger churned as he stalked out of the ventilation chamber.

***O*O*O***

Elissa walked through the doors into the Manchester Suite, her arms crossed protectively over her middle. She came to a stop as she glanced about the room taking in the guests some sitting around others wounded and others dead. She swallowed and then turned to look towards the doors as the Doctor walked through them briskly and over to the two male trees, murmuring a few words to them, placing his hands on their shoulders briefly, before he turned away leaving them to grieve the loss of their companion.

The Doctor's gaze landed on Elissa and he paused as he swept his gaze over her taking in the state of her clothes, "You alright?" he stepped over to her and carefully took one of her arms lifting it to inspect the sleeve of her jacket, "Did you get burned?"

"Uh – no," Elissa murmured.

The Time Lord frowned as he fingered a mark that looked suspiciously like it had smouldered – there was a few such marks over her clothes. He glanced back up at her face as the brunette as she slipped her arm from between his hands, "You sure?"

"Yeah," Elissa nodded and looked away, teeth sinking into her lower lip, her thoughts going again to the hot golden glow that had been coming from her. She clenched her hands into fists and turned her thoughts from the unsettling glow – it was gone now. She turned her gaze back to him, "What about you? Are you alright?"

"Yeah," the Doctor nodded and turned away from her, his jaw clenching with his tightly controlled fury, "I'm fine. I'm full of ideas, I'm bristling with them," he rumbled, his voice, mind racing. Elissa shifted following him with confused eyes, "Idea number one, teleportation through five thousand degrees needs some kind of feed," his gaze landed on the 'ostrich' egg Cassandra had brought on board, "Idea number two, this feed must be hidden nearby," he explained, before he stalked over to the egg, snatching it up, before he threw it to the floor, breaking it open revealing the teleportation feed, just as he'd suspected. He bent, snatching it up off the floor and straightened, "Idea number three, if you're as clever as me, then a teleportation feed can be reversed," he declared and twisted the device.

Everyone in the Suite watched as Cassandra appeared back in the Suite, mid-sentence, "Ah, you should have seen their little alien faces," she gloated cheerily, before she noticed that she wasn't in the comfort of her little hideaway, "Oh!"

"The Last Human," the Doctor sneered, his gaze flinty with his fury, as it rested on her as she glanced around nervously.

"So…" Cassandra floundered as her eyes went from angry face to angry face, "You passed my little test. Bravo. This makes you eligible to join the er... the human club."

"People have died, Cassandra," the Doctor flinty stare turned to a harsh glare, "You murdered them."

Cassandra glared right back at him, "That depends on your definition of 'people'," she sniffed, "And that's enough of a technicality to keep your lawyers dizzy for centuries," she sniffed, "Take me to court then, Doctor! And watch me smile, and cry, and flutter..."

"And creak?" the Doctor cut her off with a smirk.

Cassandra stared at him confused, "And what?"

"Creak! You're creaking," he told her a cheery note entering his voice as Cassandra's skin began to visibly tighten. Her eyes becoming bloodshot, her skin rapidly paling out to a sickly shade at the exposure to the heat in the air.

"What? Ah! Ah! I'm drying out!" Cassandra cried beginning to panic, "Oh, sweet heavens! Moisturize me! Moisturize me! Where are my surgeons? My lovely boys! It's too hot!" she gasped, her skin beginning to splotch red.

"You raised the temperature," the Doctor stated flatly, coldly, staring at her unflinchingly as the red splotches deepened angrily - spreading.

"Have pity!" Cassandra pleaded fearfully, bloodshot eyes on the Time Lord, "Moisturize me! Oh, Doctor!"

"Doctor -," Elissa swallowed her wide gaze going from the skin to the Doctor, "Help her."

"Everything has its time," the Doctor reminded her not looking away from Cassandra, blue eyes still flinty, "And everything dies."

Cassandra's skin began to shrivel, "I'm... too... young!" she cried out before she exploded outward in a shower of skin and blood.

Elissa cringed as a large wad of skin sailed past her splatting on the floor a short distance from her feet, but the Doctor remained completely cold in the face of it, just staring darkly, fury still simmering, before he turned and exited the room without looking back. Elissa shifted, turning her head to stare after him with concern.

***O*O*O***

"Shuttles 4 and 6 now departing," the computer announced as Elissa stood alone at the large observation window in the Manchester Suite. The brunette staring out it at the bits of variously sized and shaped rocks, that had been the Earth as they floated past the giant red burning sun, "This unit now closing down for maintenance."

She heard footsteps coming towards her and then the Doctor came up beside her, his own gaze focused on what was left of the Earth, "It's really gone," she murmured softly after a moment, "And, no one was watching. It's funny," she continued, her voice a little shaky her throat feeling tight and the Doctor turned his gaze to her, "I wasn't sure I even wanted to see it end – but now. Now I think – I think someone should have been watching…"

The Doctor stared at her for another moment taking in her solemn expression, before he shifted slightly, holding out a hand to her, "Come with me."

Elissa turned from the window and took his outstretched hand. The Doctor closing his hand about hers, before he turned and led them back across the Suite to the doors, headed for where the Tardis had been parked by the little blue members of the Platforms staff.

***O*O*O***

The two stood under the bright sun back on Earth in the 21st century. Elissa shifting slightly as she took around the milling crowds as people went about their everyday lives.

"You think it'll last forever," the Doctor spoke after another moment drawing her gaze from the street, "People, and cars and concrete. But it won't. One day, it's all gone. Even the sky," and Elissa followed his gaze as lifted his to the sky. The two of them taking in the beautiful almost cloudless blue. The Doctor lowered his gaze to her, his gaze sad, "My planet's gone," he admitted in a low murmur, forcing the words out.

Elissa's gaze shot back to him, her eyes wide, "Oh…" she breathed helplessly unsure what to say – if she even should say anything.

"It's dead," the Doctor continued as he met her gaze, "It burned like the Earth. It's just rocks and dust before its time."

Elissa swallowed, "Before its time?"

"There was a war," the Doctor replied heavily before he swallowed and took a breath as he continued, "And we lost."

"Lost?" Elissa murmured.

"My people…" the Doctor sighed out a heavy breath, "I'm a Time Lord. I'm the last of the Time Lords," he explained and Elissa's eyes widened with a horrified understanding at the implications of that, "They're all gone," the Time Lord swallowed again his hearts heavy, "I'm the only survivor. I'm travelling on my own 'cos there's no one else."

"Well…" Elissa swallowed, "You've got me."

"You've seen how dangerous it is," he eyed her, cautiously hopeful, even as he offered, "Do you want to go home?"

Elissa looked down, teeth catching her lower lip, worrying it as she thought, "I don't… I dunno," she admitted after a moment, before she caught a scent in the air and her stomach rumbled hungrily, "Uh… guess I'm hungry."

The Doctor grinned, "So, chips?"

"Is that that smell in the air?" Elissa asked as she sniffed at the air appreciatively.

The Doctor nodded.

"Chips sound good, then," she nodded, even as she wondered if she liked them – by how yummy they smelled she hoped she did.

"Very good," he agreed, "This way to chips," he gestured down the pavement and the two started walking, "Uh… you got any money?"

"Uh," Elissa blinked, "Dunno, why?"

"I've got none," the Doctor admitted with a small shrug.

"Oh…" Elissa paused and searched through her bag and pulled out a small purse, she opened it and peered inside, "This do?" she pulled out a couple of green bills.

"Probably buy more chips than the two of us could eat with those," the Doctor observed with a bit of a grin.

"I'll take that as a 'yes' then," Elissa murmured as she shoved them back in her purse and put it back in her bag, "Come on, then!" they started walking again, "I really want chips now."

The Doctor grinned wider, "Me too!"

***O*O*O***

The Doctor and Elissa sat at a park bench, a dwindling pile of chips on the table between them. The long-haired brunette shifted some hair back behind her ear as a gust of wind blew blowing the strands across her face, her gaze locked on the blank pages of her open journal, pen in hand and a frustrated frown furrowing her brow.

The Doctor eyed her, "Aren't you overthinking it?"

"I can't think of how to write it," she huffed with frustration, glowering at the page like it had personally offended her.

"Why don't you just try again later?"

Elissa looked up at him, "I don't know how much longer I've got left before –," she swallowed and looked back down at the blank page with concern, "Before I forget everything, again. I could at any moment now. And, I don't want too!" her gaze went back up to him, her eyes wide and a little fearful, "I mean I got look at the Earth from a window!" she exclaimed, "And, I won't remember! I won't remember what it looked like or how it felt to see it. So I need – I need to write it down, so that I have at least something to tell me it happened. But everything I think of…" she trailed before sighing miserably and twisted the pen between her fingers, "I doubt I'll believe it," she muttered.

The Doctor frowned in consideration as he eyed Elissa, "If it's on a 24hour loop, you'd have a few more hours yet," he assured.

"I don't know," Elissa mumbled, shoulders slumping, "All I know is I woke up – not remembering…" she trailed as the Doctor held a hand out across the table. She blinked at it briefly, before she shoved the journal across the table towards him, before placing the pen in his hand. She watched as he put the pen to paper and started writing – the pen almost flying over the paper he was writing so fast, "I gotta be able to read it, you know…"

"You'll be able to read it," the Doctor replied, not looking up as he scrawled the pen over the page rapidly.

"You make it look so easy," she murmured as her gaze followed the progress of the pen as he moved onto the next page.

"Got a bit of a knack for explaining things – if I do say so myself," he remarked, shooting her a quick grin, before he focused his attention back on what he was writing. Moments of silence past between them before he dropped the pen down on the pages, "There. How's that for an explanation?" he grinned rather pleased with himself as he pushed the journal back across the bench to her.

Elissa looked at it, blinking down at the unfamiliar writing that was covering the pages he'd used to document what he knew of her day, "It's good," she murmured as he eyed her, "I'll probably still have trouble believing it," she added a little weakly, before she smiled at him thankfully, "But it's there."

"Nothing I wouldn't be able to prove," the Doctor shrugged with as much nonchalance as he could muster, "You know, if you're coming with me."

Elissa frowned slightly and reached for another chip, her mind going to the terror she'd felt trapped alone in that room and to how amazing it was to see the Earth outside that window. Her gaze went down to the words written on the page. She nibbled on the chip as she picked up the pen and made a small notation to let her know who'd written the entry – she wouldn't put it past herself to question why it was in a different hand.

The Doctor stared at her, his gaze focusing on her hair as the wind attempt to blow it across her face again. He blinked at it and frowned slightly with confusion and curiosity, "Say, wasn't your hair a darker shade of brown before?"

Elissa looked up and swallowed the bit of chip she had in her mouth, "Uh…" she took some hair in her fingers and brought it in front of her eyes. She stared at it trying to think of the exact shade she'd seen in the mirror that morning, "Looks the same to me…" she trailed off a little uncertainly and released her hair.

The Doctor eyed her hair, almost certain that it had been a little darker before, "Must be the way the lights hitting it," he muttered a little dubiously before he smiled at Elissa, putting the curious thought aside for the moment, "So, what do you say?" he stood grabbing a last chip, "You coming with?" he asked hopefully, before adding, "Or am I taking you home?"

Elissa bit her lower lip again, hesitating a moment, her gaze going to her hands, before she picked up her pen and quickly scrawled something at the end of what the Doctor had written, before she snapped the journal shut and stood shoving it into her bag along with her pen, "Oh," she grinned at him, "I'm coming with!"

The Doctor beamed a wide happy grin, "Fantastic!" he tossed the chip into his mouth and the two started away from the picnic table. Heading back down the pavement towards where they'd left the Tardis.


End file.
